Redefinition
by KilroyWasHere
Summary: Schuyler knew moving in with the Forces would be interesting.  She just wasn't expecting the car chases, the midnight escapes, the deadly jewelry, the dark secrets, or the coming apocalypse. Starts post Masquerade. WARNING: Jack/Mimi & Sky/Ollie
1. Cold Welcome

On the third floor of the most expensive house in 10021 zip code, a young girl sat on the wooden slate floor of a pale violet bedroom. In front of her lay a large trunk and two suitcases, open and overflowing with clothes. She was supposedly unpacking them, but could not quite bring herself to do so. To move all of her clothing and possessions out of her suitcases and into the bureau and closet provided in her new bedroom seemed to be resigning herself to the fact that she actually had to live and sleep here. Schuyler Van Alen pushed her long black hair out of her eyes, angrily flipping it over her shoulder. Tears had started to gather in her sapphire eyes for the umpteenth time that day, and she was sick of it. Sick of crying, sick of moving, sick of the constant uncertainty in her life, and most especially sick of dear old 'Uncle Charles', as he now wanted to be called, ordering her around without giving her any say. He hadn't even been there to greet her when she arrived at the mansion two hours ago. None of them had. Instead, when Lawrence had ordered the chauffer to stop in front of the imposing four-story house and held the door for her, they had found the entire place deserted. Lawrence had impatiently waited for the door to open after ringing the bell four times, but nothing happened.

"I guess no one's home." Schuyler had remarked hopefully, starting to turn back to the car.

Lawrence had looked at her as if he'd like nothing better than to bundle her into the Lincoln and take her home, but he had told Charles he would drop Schuyler off at one o'clock sharp on Saturday afternoon, and he wouldn't put it past his devious son to somehow find out and report him if Lawrence failed to do exactly that. He smiled sadly at his granddaughter, then tried the handle. Unsurprisingly, it was locked.

"Normally, this would not be a proper use for vampire strength, but we'll ignore that just this once." He told Schuyler, before taking the handle more firmly in his hand and twisting with all his strength. Schuyler heard a faint crack as the lock snapped, and then the door swung open, its gold gilt handle hanging at a slightly odd angle. Schuyler grinned at her grandfather, picturing the look on Charles's face when he saw his door, before remembering that since the door was open she now had to go inside and leave him, for how long she did not know.

Vexingly enough, it was a beautiful day, warm for late winter, with the sun shining cheerily from behind a few clouds, bathing the driveway and surrounding lawns with a golden glow. If Schuyler had been there for any other reason, she would have appreciated the almost other-worldly beauty of the place, especially in the heart of the city. As it was, she simply scowled at the sunlight and made a face at a pair of particularly cheerful looking chrysanthemums. Popping the trunk, she helped her grandfather lift out her luggage before grabbing her slightly warn but well-loved sky blue backpack, a twelfth birthday present from Oliver. ("See, get it Sky? It's SKY blue!") They carried the bags to the step and across the threshold of the house, both of them hesitating before actually stepping into the mansion.

Inside, Schuyler peered around her new 'home', trying not to tremble at the sheer size and overwhelming power of it. The entrance hall they were standing in was painted a creamy off-white, although much of the paint was covered by large paintings and gold candle stick holders placed every few feet along the wall. Looking directly up, she encounter a large and impressive chandelier, decorated with hundreds of tiny Waterford crystals. A wide staircase with pale gold carpeting swept up to the second floor directly in front of her, accompanied by a white American pine banister. Schuyler had grown up in a fairly large home herself, but it was nothing compared to this.

"Mimi." Schuyler spun as she heard the name, wildly looking around for her enemy, before realizing it was her grandfather who had spoken.

"What about…her?" Schuyler asked, avoiding actually saying her name.

"Apparently, she was supposed to be here to meet you. " He held up a note written in fountain pen on a sheet of thick white paper. Glancing at his granddaughter, he read the note aloud.

"Lawrence and Schuyler—so sorry we could not be here to greet you, an urgent issue involving the Carondolets came up suddenly. I'm sure Mimi will welcome you and provide Schuyler with everything she needs. (_Yeah, like a knife in the back,_ Schuyler thought to herself.) We will return around five o'clock this evening, at which time Schuyler is expected to accompany us to dinner. Lawrence, as I am sure you are aware, the courts have forbidden you to have any contact with Schuyler until further notice. When you drop her off you may not call her, write her, or contact her in any way for the conceivable future. Schuyler, we will welcome you properly into the family later. (_I wonder if that involves a death ritual?_ Schuyler mused sarcastically.) In the mean time, please make yourself at home, but stay out of the first floor study. I eagerly look forward to seeing you later, your—here Lawrence paused as if he couldn't believe what he was reading—your Uncle Charles."

Schuyler made a half-gagging half-disbelieving noise, looking up at her grandfather in distress.

"Is he always that pompous?" She asked.

"Always." Lawrence sighed. "Well, my dear, since my other granddaughter seems to have made herself scarce—it took Schuyler several moments to realize that Mimi was the 'other granddaughter'—let us try to ascertain where your new room may be. " Offering her his arm, he led her up the stairs. They quickly realized that most of the rooms on the second floor served no practical purpose—sunroom, reading room, game room, billiard hall, and several rooms stuffed with an amazing amount of ornate junk—and that the only bedroom clearly belonged to Chares and Trinity.

The third floor appeared more promising, for it held not one but several bedrooms. Schuyler quickly figured out that each room followed either a color or a pattern theme—a royal blue room, a daisy room, an ocean green room, a wine room, a lilac room. The only problem was, as far as they could tell any of them could have been her bedroom. None of them seemed to be inhabited, and Lawrence was about to suggest that Schuyler just pick a room for the time being when they came to the last room in the hallway. As soon as Schuyler opened the door, they both knew this was her room. It was painted a pale violet, with a soft white bedspread and pale purple sheets. There was a white carpet on the floor, and the curtains over the large picture window were the lightest shade of mauve. There was a small but sturdy sandalwood dresser in one corner, a matching bookshelf, and a small table draped with white and dark violet muslins next to the bed. It looked exactly like Allegra's room back at the Van Alen mansion.

As they walked into the room, Schuyler and Lawrence fell silent, both feeling Allegra's presence in the bedroom. Obviously, someone had gone to a lot of trouble to put this room together. If Schuyler had needed any more assurance that the room was hers, she only needed to look at the picture on the bedside table. It caught her eye as soon as she entered the room, and she made her way over to it carefully, with near reverence. It showed a laughing young woman in her early thirties, her head tilted back as she turned towards the camera, causing her long blonde hair to cascade in wild curls down her back. She was smiling widely, obviously turning to greet whoever held the camera. Schuyler could almost feel the vibrancy and life in the young woman's pale green gaze. Although her eye and hair color clearly matched that of Charles Force, her features were all Schuyler. Schuyler gasped and felt herself tear up as she looked closer. Tucked snuggly in Allegra's arms so she was only half visible in the picture was a small infant with dark hair and blue eyes. Schuyler felt the tears start to fall as for the first time she gazed at a picture of herself and her mother.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she reached up to grasp it. Neither of them spoke, but for several long minutes grandfather and granddaughter stood as though frozen, staring at the picture of forgotten happiness. Finally, Schuyler sniffled and broke the spell, turning to bury herself in her grandfather's arms before letting him go and leading him back downstairs to retrieve her things.

Now, as Schuyler sat on the floor of her new room, she felt herself questioning her uncle's intentions once again. Why had he—for who else would know what Allegra's room looked like—gone to such trouble for her sake? Was he trying to buy her off? Or did he genuinely want her to feel at home? Another thought crept into Schuyler's mind, creepy and unwanted. What if Charles thought that having Schuyler live with him was a convoluted way to get Allegra back? Was he over associating her with her mother? Pushing that unpleasant thought aside, Schuyler wiped her eyes on the corner of her large grey hoodie and forced herself to stand and begin placing her clothes in the dresser.

To her surprise, she discovered that the dresser drawers (and when she looked, the closet) were already half-filled with clothes. She was even more surprised to discover that she didn't totally hate them. They were certainly nicer than anything she currently owed, but to her surprise they weren't clones of Mimi's style. Most were in the blacks, charcoals, and darker colors she preferred, with a few violet and red shirts thrown in to give the mix some color. She thought about taking them out and dumping them in one of the many spare bedrooms, but decided against it. Instead, she picked her favorites out of her own clothes and placed them next to the new ones, storing what didn't fit in the bottom of her trunk before pushing it to the back of her walk-in closet. She had just bent down to examine the titles in the book shelf when her super-sensitive hearing picked up the sound of someone walking down the hallway towards her room.

She frowned, uneasy. Lawrence had secured the front door for her before he left, making sure it closed tightly if not securely before leaving her. Schuyler was sure she would have heard if someone came through the front door. Which left the unpleasant alternatives that someone had snuck into the house and was now creeping up on her, or that someone had been in the house all along, undetected—that didn't seem possible—by either herself or her grandfather. Clenching her hands into fists, Schuyler climbed to her feet and squared herself to face whatever was coming towards her room, desperately wishing that she had brought Beauty with her today instead of arranging to have her dropped off next weekend. The door opened with a creek, and Schuyler stared in disbelief at the person on the other side, her hands unclenching and dropping to her sides.

"What are you doing?"

It was Mimi.


	2. A Family?

**A/N: Okay, chapter 2. I don't own anything; all of these characters belong to the amazing Melissa de la Cruz. Just a warning, this story is not going to be strictly Schuyler/Jack. It will have some, but that's not my favorite pairing (I like Schuyler/Oliver) so it won't be the focus. Still, seeing what a small contingency of Blue Bloods fans/writers we have, I'd appreciate it if you'd read and review even if you don't love the pairings. **

Under ordinary circumstances, Schuyler would have been very concerned about having Madeleine Force standing in her doorway, but taking in her appearance Schuyler didn't think she'd be much of a threat. Yesterday as he'd helped her pack, Oliver had joked that the one upshot of her moving was they would at last find out what Mimi looked like without her ten pounds of makeup. Schuyler had laughed, but hadn't taken him seriously. Now she was wondering if Oliver was clairvoyant. Mimi stood before her, dressed in a thin white tank top, grey sweatpants, and a ragged pink sweater. Her long blonde hair hung lank and limp around her pale face. Her skin was unnaturally pale, and her eyes were glassy. To Schuyler, it looked as if Mimi were coming off a particularly strong drug trip.

Schuyler was fairly certain Mimi did not do drugs; however, she frowned and wondered what else could make Mimi look so unwell. This was more than a simple lack of makeup or tanning solution. Mimi didn't just look more human than usual, she looked ill. Schuyler herself had been out of school since they returned from Venice three days ago, recovering, packing, and avoiding the unwanted attention of her peers. She had no way of knowing that Mimi had not been to Duschene since returning either.

"What are you doing?" Mimi repeated, and that was something else odd. There was no malice or anger in her voice, just a vague curiosity and a sense of detachment. Before Schuyler could even begin to figure out how to answer her, Mimi spoke again. "Who are you?"

Schuyler's eyes widened and she backed slowly away from the other girl, wondering what was wrong with her. "I'm Schuyler." She said, her voice much gentler than she ever expected to be around Mimi. "I'm moving in with you guys, remember?" Mimi blinked at her, as if she couldn't quite bring Schuyler into focus.

"I don't like you." She said finally, but it was more of a question than a statement.

"No, you don't." Schuyler answered in much the same tone. She frowned, trying to figure out what to do. Mimi did not appear to be threatening her, unless this was all some elaborate plan to lower Schuyler's defenses before attacking. At the same time, she wasn't quite sure what to do with a Mimi who didn't talk a mile a minute and sneer contemptuously at her. Maybe she should call Dr. Pat, or—Jack. Jack would know what to do.

"Mimi, do you know where Jack is?" She asked, trying to keep her tone calm and non-threatening. Mimi looked at her blankly, as if she didn't quite understand what Schuyler was asking. Just as Schuyler was about to give up on getting a response and go hunting for Mimi's cell to find Jack's number, the front door banged open and both girls turned as they heard a pair of feet pounding up the stairs.

"Mimi!" Schuyler froze as she heard Jack Force's voice for the first time in nearly four days. She thought she was past being so affected by his voice, but clearly she was wrong. She took an uncertain step towards the door, twisting her fingers in the hem of her black fringe skirt as she waited for Jack to find them. She glanced up quickly and then just as quickly looked down as Jack suddenly appeared behind Mimi.

"Oh. Hey, Schuyler. I forgot you were arriving today." Schuyler smiled at him, unsure what to say. She hated how she was so often tongue-tied in his presence.

"Is she alright?" She asked finally, gesturing towards Mimi, who continued to stand blankly in between them.

"Oh, yeah, she's umm, well, she'll be okay. Just give me a minute and I'll explain." He grabbed his sister lightly by the shoulders and turned her so they were standing face to face. "How are you feeling?" He asked her gently, brushing a strand of blonde hair out of her green eyes. "I realized it was time for you to take your…meds…again, so I hurried home. Are you alright?" She looked at him and nodded, leaning her head on his shoulder. He put his arms around her and led her gently out of the room, his movements so tender that Schuyler felt herself shaking with jealously and longing. For the first and only time in her life she wished she was Mimi Force. Jack led her to a narrow staircase that Schuyler figured must lead to the fourth floor. The two of them disappeared up the stairs, and for a few minutes Schuyler was alone in her new bedroom.

She stood still for a moment, unsure of what had just happened. She had never seen Mimi so vague and unresponsive, but Jack didn't seem too worried. She hoped he would give her some explanation about what was going on here. At least now she knew why Mimi hadn't answered the door when Lawrence rang. Shaking herself to get rid of the strangeness of the situation, Schuyler turned to her trunk and began unpacking her books. She was in the process of deciding which ones to add to the ones already on the book shelves and which to leave in her suitcase when Jack came back downstairs and knocked lightly on her open door. She motioned him to come in, and he did, closing her door behind him.

"Sorry about that. Mimi's alright, she's just…recuperating. She'll be fine in another day or so." It took Schuyler a minute to focus on Jack's words and not the fact that the two of them were alone in a room together for the first time. She forced herself to stop staring at the floor and look him in the eyes.

"What's wrong with her?" Schuyler asked, offering him the small white chair beside the table. He sat down and looked at her, hesitating before answering. He wasn't sure how he felt about having Schuyler here. On the one hand, he was excited about having her so close. Having her live with him—them—would definitely give him plenty of time to talk to her, get to know her, get to do…other things…with her.

On the other hand, having her live with them only accentuated the problems with the situation. He was being emotionally pulled between two people he loved very much, and now all three of them were living under the same roof. In addition, when it came down to it he didn't know Schuyler very well. He liked her, to be sure, but he didn't _know_ her. Not like he knew Mimi. And, finally, the one small fact he had been suppressing and ignoring since he found it out. Schuyler was his cousin. His blood relation, according to the Red Bloods. And as much as he loved her, he would never do anything with Mimi until they were bonded. For whatever reason, in this lifetime they had been born as twins not only in the vampire sense, but in the human sense as well. And because they were family, doing anything before they were bonded would be inappropriate, not to mention strange. And if he had that problem with Mimi, wasn't it the same with Schuyler?

"It's not your fault." He blurted out in response to Schuyler's question before thinking about his answer. She looked surprised, very puzzled, and a little hurt. "I mean…I didn't mean it to come out like that."

"Jack." Schuyler said, her voice solemn. "What's going on with Mimi?"

He looked at her seriously for a moment, and considered not answering her question before he sighed and relented. "Okay. First of all, like I said, it's not your fault…really." She looked even more worried, so he rushed on. "After we left you and Lawrence in Venice, when we were packing our things at the hotel, Mimi collapsed. At first we thought it was just exhaustion, but then she started hallucinating, and she was running a high fever. We got her to Dr. Pat as quickly as we could, and it turns out it's nothing to worry too much about. She just—"He stopped, and looked up at her, meeting her gaze frankly. "She lost too much blood, Schuyler. I know you know about that, because of your mother. It's not your fault, of course. You did it to save her life. But it was really scary for a while. She was so weak, and she didn't recognize us. I was afraid she…" he trailed off, looking at her with a slightly embarrassed expression.

"You were afraid she'd end up like my mother." Schuyler said. His silence was confirmation enough.

"But, anyway," He continued brightly, "Dr. Pat gave her a transfusion and gave us some more blood to feed her for the next few days. (_So that's what he meant by medicine_, Schuyler thought.) Unfortunately, she's got that cold that's going around—Schuyler knew about that, half the school, both Red Bloods and Blue Bloods, had been missing for the past two weeks—and that hasn't helped her recovery any. But she'll be back to her normal self in a day or two. (_I can't wait_, Schuyler thought sarcastically.) Believe it or not, that loopy way she's acting is all due to Benadryl."

"Oh." Schuyler said thoughtfully, looking up into his gentle smile. "Well, I'm glad (_Not really_) that she's fine and I'm sorry I scared you."

"Don't worry about it." Jack said, moving to stand up. She rose to get the door for him, and the two of them bumped into each other.

"Sorry." They both said quickly, moving away from each other. Schuyler stepped back to let him out of the room, and watched as he disappeared up the same staircase he had helped Mimi climb. She figured both of their bedrooms must be up there, since she and Lawrence had only found one inhabited room in bottom three floors. Shaking her head, she turned back to her suitcases with a sigh.

* * *

An hour or so later, Schuyler woke with a start as the front door banged open and an angry voice demanded loudly what happened to the handle. She hadn't even realized she'd fallen asleep on the soft fluffy comforter. Before she woke, she'd been having a strange dream where she was walking through a jungle, carrying a baby doll. Shaking her head to clear it, she stood and walked out of her room, almost colliding with Mimi and Jack as they came down from the fourth floor.

Mimi looked marginally better than she had before. She'd traded the sweats for jeans and an off the shoulder, slinky black tee shirt. Her pale blonde hair was brushed and pulled back in a loose ponytail, and her eyes looked less dazed. She still looked sick, but she seemed more aware of her surroundings than she had before. She looked at Schuyler in confusion for a moment, before her gaze hardened and the glare Schuyler knew so well settled over her pretty features. She tossed her hair over her shoulder before flouncing down the stairs. The effect was ruined slightly when she had to grab the banister to keep her balance, but she continued to strut down the stairs as best she could while gripping the railing for support. Jack followed after her, slouching slightly as he padded down the stairs. Schuyler steeled herself for a moment, brushed back her hair as best she could, and followed them down to the first floor foyer, where Charles Force and his wife, Trinity Burden Force, stood in the entrance way.

Trinity looked at Schuyler with mild interest and faint displeasure, the way one might view a stray cat as it passed by. Charles was scowling fiercely at all three teens, holding the broken doorknob in his hand. Schuyler glanced at it and had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at the put out expression on his face.

"How did this happen?" He demanded after a moment of tense silence. He did not welcome Schuyler, just glanced her over once and deepened his frown. Mimi shrugged and looked bored, while Jack simply shook his head.

"No one answered the doorbell when we rang earlier today." Schuyler figured he would find out anyway, so she might as well just tell him. "We waited, but the door was locked and you said I should be dropped off at one. Lawrence broke the lock to get us inside." Charles frowned at her, his face looking wrathful, before rounding on his daughter.

"I told you they were coming, Mimi. Why didn't you let them in?"

"I was asleep, Dad. I never heard the bell ring."

"You should have been up and listening." He told her sternly, looking down at her.

"She's sick, Dad. You know that. She was barely coherent when I got home earlier. What exactly did you want her to do? I told you to re-schedule the time with Lawrence. She's not well enough to do anything yet." Jack came to his sister's defense, frowning at his father. He had been accessing more and more of his memories, and what they consistently told him was that he and his father did not get along. He wondered briefly why Michael had chosen to raise two people he did not particularly like or care about.

"I couldn't reschedule, it would give Lawrence too much satisfaction. And she would be fine now if someone—he rounded on Schuyler—hadn't made her ill in the first place!"

"I'm sorry," Schuyler said, her voice heavy with sarcasm. "I thought you wanted me to save her. My mistake. Silly me. Next time I'll let her die."

"I didn't mean--Oh, never mind, just go get ready for dinner, all of you. We leave in half an hour." He glared angrily at Schuyler before stalking away towards what Schuyler assumed was his off limits office.

"I can't go, Dad." Mimi said, stopping him in his tracks. He turned to look at her, as did all the others. Despite her fresher appearance, Mimi still looked very weak, and as they watched she sank down onto the lowest step, leaning against the wall.

"Don't be silly, Madeleine. Just get dressed and I'm sure you'll be fine." He turned to go.

"Didn't you hear her, Dad? She said she can't go." Jack said firmly, his voice leaving no room for argument. "We'll all go out as a family in a few days, when Mimi's feeling up to it. Just let it go for tonight."

Charles stared at his son in a mixture of rage at his taking control and puzzlement at being contradicted not once, but twice. "Fine." He barked, before stomping out of the room. They all stared after him for a minute before Trinity hurried after him and Jack began helping Mimi back upstairs. In moments, Schuyler was alone in the foyer of the Force mansion. She looked around her in confusion and worry, wondering idly what kind of family she was stuck living with.

* * *

**Hmm, I didn't intend for Charles to come out that mean when I first started writing this. ****I know he's a jerk, but wow…Anyway, next time around we'll finally have that dinner Jack promised, and meet up with some of the other Blue Blood teens. And yes, Kingsley is going to make an appearance at some point. ****(Be very afraid!) **


	3. Discussion and a Dream

**I don't own them, I just play with them. Melissa de la Cruz is the ruler of all things Blue Blood. **

**Three Days Later**

When Charles told Schuyler that she would be moving in with his family, her main concern was being forced to spend extended amounts of time around the Forces. Now, Schuyler realized how ridiculous that concern had been. After living in the Force mansion for four days, she could count the number of minutes she had spent with any of them on one hand and still have plenty of fingers left. Charles was gone to work at Force News Network every morning before anyone else even thought about waking up. He would return late at night, occasionally heading straight to his bedroom but often locking himself in his office. An occasional glimpse in the hallway in the late hours of the night accounted for Schuyler's only contact with her uncle.

Mimi had remained shut up in her room for the past two days, recuperating, until she emerged in a whirlwind late yesterday afternoon with her hair, makeup, nails, and clothing done up to perfection. She flew out of the house without even acknowledging Schuyler's presence in the kitchen as she passed through on her way to their four car garage. That night, she returned even later than her father did. Jack seemed to be a ghost, flitting from one room of the house to another, never staying long in one place and never letting Schuyler catch more than a glimpse of him. He often took one of the cars out for a drive with seemingly no reason or fixed destination. He alone of the Forces went out of his way to smile at Schuyler when he saw her, which was almost never.

As for Trinity, Schuyler was seriously starting to doubt whether the woman actually lived in the house or not. After that one brief meeting the first night, Schuyler only saw her once for a few seconds as she rushed out of the house on her way to an appointment. In addition, Schuyler wondered exactly how well she knew her children. When she breezed past Schuyler she had been talking on the phone to one of her friends about the twins. "Oh, yes, Benjamin and Madeleine are quite excited about the upcoming museum opening…" As far as Schuyler knew, neither Jack nor Mimi cared a wit about museums and outside of new teachers at Duchesne, no one ever called them by their full names.

Schuyler spent the majority of her time reading several books Lawrence had given her as a going away presents, catching up on missed school work, and emailing/texting Oliver. She had actually allowed herself to grow used to the solitude and freedom she was given in ample supply when everything changed on her fourth day there.

The day had started out normal enough. Schuyler woke up around nine, enjoying the freedom to sleep in during the week-long winter break. She had headed downstairs after showering and dressing in her Stitched for Civilization jeans and a dark red peasant blouse. After eating breakfast alone she had wondered into the library and lost herself in a first-edition copy of Shakespeare's _Twelfth Night_. She hadn't realized just how lost she'd been until loud stomping had disturbed her in the middle of the second act and she had looked at her watch only to realize that while she read four hours had gone by. Marking her place and leaving the book on a table, she had gone to the door to see what the commotion was.

Schuyler was almost knocked over as Mimi stomped past at a furious speed, Jack trailing after her. Both of them looked distinctly unhappy and angry about something. Mimi's face was set in a cold rage she normally reserved for Schuyler, and Jack was scowling and, to Schuyler's great amusement, pouting just a little bit. The two of them disappeared upstairs and Schuyler considered following them before deciding that she valued her head too much to interfere with Mimi when she was in a mood like that and returned to the much safer world of Viola, Sebastian, and the other inhabitants of Illyria.

* * *

_It's not fair._ Mimi thought angrily to Jack as the two of them climbed the staircase to the fourth floor. 

_I know._ Jack replied. _And we've managed to avoid her for almost seven months. __I should have known Dad would do something like this __to punish us __for daring to speak back to him._

_You didn't have to, you know. _Mimi thought softly, sending him her silent thanks and gratitude.

"Yes I did." Jack said aloud. "You were sick. He was being unreasonable."

"That's one word for it." Mimi said with a snort, following Jack into his bedroom. They both flopped back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Mimi was amused to see two lonely stars painted on the ceiling, the only reminders of a botched attempt to decorate Jack's room when they had been about nine. It had ended with a two spilled buckets of paint, a black eye for Mimi, and a broken wrist for Jack. She smiled now, remembering her parents' expressions.

Jack turned his head to look at her, finally vocalizing something that had been bothering him for the past few weeks. "Do you think it's strange that he's our father?" Mimi turned to look at him, raising one perfectly shaped eyebrow. She bit her lip, thinking for a moment before replying.

"Yes." He didn't say anything, so she continued. "I mean, given our past relationships and everything, and our alliance with Catherine and John at Plymouth especially, it does seem a little strange that he would want to raise us."

"Maybe he's afraid we'll go evil again." Jack said sarcastically. Mimi smiled and made a horrible face, baring her fangs.

"I van to suck your blood!" She said in a cheesy Transylvanian accent. Jack laughed, but then he sobered quickly.

_I think there's been quite enough blood sucking lately_. He thought softly.

_I'm __, Jack. _Mimi sent in reply. He said nothing, but reached out and ran his fingers gently down the side of her face. She closed her eyes and leaned into him, and for several moments they stayed that way, Mimi's cheek resting in the palm of Jack's hand. He reached out and gripped her hand tightly, trapping her fingers between his. Mimi said nothing, letting him hold her, reassuring him with her presence. She wished he could talk or at least let her into the emotions he was feeling, but she knew better than to push him. He would share when he was ready, and not a moment sooner.

Jack breathed deeply, trying to calm himself, reassure himself that the nightmare was not real. He had been so close to losing her, and every night he awoke with the terrible fear that she had simply disappeared while he slept. It was not the blood ritual which scared him so much; it was the threat of the execution. For almost two weeks, Jack had lived with the terrible knowledge that he was about to lose his twin. Then, they had arrived in Venice, and the memories had hit him sharp and fast.

Memories of flying through the streets at speeds no human could hope to achieve, easily jumping the canals, hunting the Silver Blood traitors. Of harsh fights in back alleyways and plazas and stone palaces that more often than not ended in death and injury. Hiding on rooftops, lying still as stone for hours as he waited for his prey to show itself. And throughout it all, there was always Mimi, fighting for him and with him, keeping him grounded to reality in the midst of all the death and destruction they wrought. And another memory too, the precious memory of their first bonding, a small but vital piece of happiness and hope amidst the savagery. And he had almost lost it all.

If Schuyler had not been able to perform the ritual, Jack knew what he would have done. He would have fought to free Mimi, and the two of them would have become pariahs of the Blue Blood community. The hunters would have become the hunted. They would probably be chased down and killed, although he wasn't sure Michael would be able to overpower them without Gabriel. But even if they were caught, better to die together than to live alone with that terrible emptiness day after day.

Then they had returned to the hotel, Jack clinging to Mimi's hand as tightly as he could. She had seemed distant, but he had marked it down to tiredness and well deserved exhaustion. Then she had collapsed in his arms, and for one terrible moment he thought he was going to have to watch her go to her death all over again. Every night since then he saw her as soon as he closed his eyes, her beautiful face hidden by the ugly and oppressive black robe, her delicate hands and feet bound with chains. Every night she fell, and every night he could not save her.

Mimi smirked and slipped her hand out of his, ending the moment. "So we really have to have dinner with Mrs. Pincher tonight, huh?"

"Barring a nuclear holocaust, I think so." Jack replied with a sigh. "I wonder what she'll make of Schuyler?"

"Mmm" Mimi made a non-committal noise; privately thinking that she couldn't care less about anything Schuyler did—unless she was moving out of the country. "Dad sure knows how to pick them, doesn't he? Is Mom coming?"

"Who knows?" Jack shrugged and stood up, opening his closet and searching for a shirt to wear that night.

"Who cares is a better question." Mimi said, pulling herself up with a sigh. Jack gave her a slightly reproachful look, which she ignored. She could care less about the woman who called herself their mother. She walked over next to him and began rifling through his clothes. She pulled out a dark green shirt, held it up to him, then shook her head and put in back before continuing to dig. Jack let her, knowing her sense of fashion was much more finely tuned than his own.

"So what did people say about me in school last week?" Mimi said, trying to keep her voice casual. Although she had been too delirious to care at the time, she was worried what her classmates –particularly the Blue Bloods—had been saying about her in her absence.

"Oh, you know the usual stuff. Wanted to know where you were, when you were coming back." Jack said, trying to keep his voice light and uninterested. It was a pointless endeavor. Mimi could always tell when he was hiding something.

"What did they say, Jack?" She asked, her voice no longer mildly curious but completely serious. Jack studied her for a moment, considered glossing over the truth, then decided to plunge right in.

"Well, first day back when I walked through the door Lucy Forbes threw herself in my arms and started telling me how sorry she was for my loss. Then when I told her they hadn't kill—hadn't bur—" He fumbled over the words and stopped, distinctly uncomfortable.

"That they hadn't executed me." Mimi supplied quietly, motioning him to continue.

"Yeah. When I told her that, she looked really disappointed. And she wasn't the only one." He continued savagely. "Half the school thought you were dead. I don't know what they told the Red Bloods, but a whole bunch of them thought you were gone too. And they all seemed so…so…let down that you hadn't died. Like that would have allowed them to create a bigger scandal, but you ruined it by living. Soos Kemble actually told me she thought I was living in denial until Bliss confirmed my story." He turned and glared at her, but they both knew his anger was not directed towards his sister, just towards the situation in general.

"Mimi, you should know that people…especially Blue Bloods…might treat you differently when you go back to school. All of the Red Bloods were genuinely glad to hear that you were alright, after they got over the disappointment of losing a potential scandal. But a lot of the Blue Bloods were distant, cold even."

"Why?" She whispered.

"They think you deserved to die. They don't trust Schuyler's and the Council's findings."

"What? Why? Don't they know what she showed them? Didn't Kingsley run off like the coward he is? What more do they want?"

"They said…" Here Jack stopped, unsure if he wanted to go into the heart of the problem. He had been planning on crossing his fingers and hoping it all blew over during the week long winter break and dealing with it when he got back to school if it hadn't.

_What did they say, Jack? What are they saying about us?_He couldn't deny her when she asked like that, so he took a deep breath, mentally crossed his fingers for luck, and took the plunge.

_They are saying that I asked Schuyler to fake your innocence. That she only did it as a favor to me and that you are really guilty. Some are even saying I used her…our…__mutual __attraction to persuade her into helping you. They say you are a killer and Schuyler let you walk free because I seduced her._

"Oh. I see." Mimi's voice was surprisingly calm, and Jack looked at her nervously. This was not the reaction he had been expecting. "I see perfectly. That's how things stand, then." She threw down his clothes on the bed and before he could stop her she stalked quickly but seemingly unruffled out of the room.

"Mimi, wait—" Jack said, following her and trying to catch her arm.

"Don't, Jack. Please just don't." Mimi turned and looked at him, her gaze frozen, before shutting his door in his face. Jack stared after her for a moment, stunned, then swore softly and kicked out at a pile of schoolbooks lying on the floor. Stumbling back over to his bed and rubbing his sore foot in irritation, he flopped face down on the pillow and clenched his fist, trying to contain the rage and confusion he felt.

Did they think it was easy? For so long he had felt pulled between Azrael—Mimi and Gabriel. But over the years he had come to realize that it wasn't Gabriel herself he loved, but the idea of her. And when she had finally offered herself to him in his most recent lifetime—something he had never shared with anyone, especially Mimi or Charles—he had refused her and felt freer for it. He thought that after all those centuries of being pulled in two directions he was free. And then he met Schuyler.

Schuyler had all of the qualities he loved in Gabriel, but none of her faults—vanity, pride, a superiority complex (well deserved but there none the less)and a condescending attitude, especially towards Red Bloods—and he felt himself falling for her as hard as, well, as hard as he had first fallen for Azrael. Schuyler was kind-hearted, determined, strong, and dedicated to finding the truth no matter what the consequences. On top of all that, she was beautiful, but not vain or open to the influences of others' opinions—which Mimi certainly was.

He didn't know when or how his fellow Blue Blood teens became aware of the nasty little triangle developing between himself, Schuyler, and Mimi but now that they were, they seemed determined to dislike all three instead of coming down on anyone's side. He didn't know what hurt worse; the insinuation that he would seduce Schuyler, the suggestion that Schuyler would lie to the entire Blue Blood community, or Mimi's purported guilt. He supposed the last would be the most harmful, but he strongly wished that all of the cruel rumors would just go away.

Promising himself he would just close his eyes for a few minutes—he still had to figure out what the hell he was wearing to dinner—Jack let himself drift into an uneasy sleep.

_He was standing on a crowded street corner __somewhere in downtown Manhattan—he didn't know exactly where, for crowded street corners were hardly in short supply in New York—watching the late afternoon crowd flow past. Narrowing his vampire-strong eyes, he searched the crowd of late afternoon shoppers for someone in particular. Suddenly, he spotted her, her golden hair gleaming in the orange sunlight. She walked down the street as if she owned it, and the crowds parted for her accordingly. _

_He stared at her intently, taking in every miniscule detail, from her perfectly creamy skin to her bright green eyes, small nose, and full lips. He zeroed in on her swan-like neck. He wanted her so badly. He started towards her and stopped, scowling, as a young man of similar complexion and height stepped out next to her, putting an arm around her shoulder in a gesture of casual affection. He scowled. He HATED that boy. He growled, low in his throat, and started forward again, determined to take them here._

_"Wait, my boy. Have patience. I believe they may come to us of their own accord." He turned and looked at his master, scowling but obedient. _

_"And if they don't?" _

_"Why then, Kingsley, you may kill the boy and do as you wish with the girl—all of the girls, if that's what you desire." He smiled, satisfied for now, and turned back to watching as they walked down the street, blissfully—he smiled at the word—blissfully unaware of how close they had come to dying._

Jack woke with a start, lurching upright in bed. He stared at the mirror hanging across the room, and tentatively touched his features. His hair was blonde, not black, and his eyes were green, not red. Most importantly, Kingsley Martin did not look back at him. He flopped back down, breathing hard. In his dream he had been Kingsley. He shuddered. How creepy was that? And stranger still, he had been Kingsley watching himself and Mimi. And that voice—the one Kingsley thought of as master—Jack recognized it, for at one point long ago he too had called that being master. But that was impossible, wasn't it? Lucifer had been vanquished almost a thousand years ago on Michael's sword.

He clambered out of bed, still disconcerted from his dream. Well, there was one thing he was certain of. If Kingsley Martin ever returned, he and Jack had unfinished business. And this time if Kingsley challenged him he would not hesitate to comply.


	4. What's in a Name?

**Melissa de la Cruz owns it all. ****Sadly.**

**A/N: Quick question: can someone check and email me the name of their school? I only own Masquerade and believe it or not the school's name is spelled two different ways in different places in the book. (Duchesne verses Duschene) Could someone let me know which is right? Thanks! **

"What are you doing?!" Schuyler woke with a start, jerking upright and almost falling out of the plush leather chair where she had dozed off. She spun around awkwardly to peer up into her Uncle's face. He looked angry, though thankfully not nearly as angry as he had the other night. His gaze was not directed at her, but at the book lying innocently on the table in front of her.

"It's just Shakespeare." She said hesitantly. Was Charles so strict he wouldn't allow her to read Shakespeare? She hoped not, as he was one of her favorite authors.

"I know it's Shakespeare. It's a first edition copy of _Twelfth Night_ printed in 1690 and signed by Johannes Gutenberg himself. The total value of the book is more than yours, Jack's, and Mimi's tuitions to Duchesne combined."

"I'm sorry." Schuyler said softly. Despite what her uncle might think, she could appreciate how precious that book was. "I didn't know I wasn't supposed to read it." Charles sighed and picked up the book, stroking the spine carefully before placing in back on the shelf. The anger melted out of his face as he took a chair across from Schuyler.

"I didn't mean to suggest you couldn't read it. Just be more careful in the future, please. A book like that should not be left lying open; the spine will crack and fall apart if it is not treated with the utmost care. But it's alright, I'm not really mad. I can't really expect you to know such things, considering the upbringing you've had." Schuyler bristled at the perceived insult to Cordelia, but remained silent. Her uncle was trying to be kind, no matter how misguided he might be.

"Thank you." She said stiffly, forcing herself to give him a tiny smile. He nodded once, then stood and turned to leave the room.

"I don't know if you've been told, but we are dining with a very prestigious lady tonight, one of the most respected members of New York society. We are leaving the house in precisely two hours, so I suggest you begin readying yourself. You are expected to dress respectfully and in a presentable manner. If you find that difficult, perhaps Mimi could assist you." Charles said, turning back to face her.

Schuyler privately thought Hell would freeze over before she accepted let alone asked for help from Mimi Force, but she merely nodded and stood as well. "Jack said something about the lady, I think. He called her Mrs. Pincher."

Charles' face stiffened, and for a moment Schuyler thought he might lash out at her. It passed, and his eyes lightened, although his features remained tense. "Jack and Mimi have called her that—privately, I must add—since they were small. However, you must not follow their example. Her name is Lady Prinche. She is the twins' godmother."

"Okay." Said Schuyler, hoping her compliance would move him along. She just wanted him gone so she could get ready for the dinner—and so she didn't have to spend more time than necessary around him. As he walked to the door, however, she realized there was one more thing she needed to say to him.

"Thank you." She called, causing him to stop and turn in surprise. "For my room, I mean. It really means a lot to me that you would spend all that time on it." He frowned at her, but he did not look angry, only puzzled.

"I have never seen your new room, but I am glad you find it satisfactory." He turned and walked out, leaving Schuyler more confused than before. If Charles had not set up her room, who had? Jack? Would he even know what Allegra's room looked like? Probably not. What about her grandfather? But that didn't fit either. Somehow she couldn't see Charles letting Lawrence within two miles of his home. So who had spent so much time and energy arranging that room to feel like home, like her mother?

Schuyler stood and grabbed her sweater, walking to the bookcase one final time before preparing for dinner. She found the volume of Shakespeare and pulled it out, handling it as gently as possible. She opened to the title page she had skipped before, and looked at the copyright. The book had indeed been printed in 1690, but it had certainly not been signed by Gutenberg. Schuyler had known as soon as Charles said that he was lying. Johannes Gutenberg had lived and died in the fifteenth century, before Shakespeare had ever written his plays and long before this book was ever printed.

The book was signed, however, and Schuyler bent her head closer to read the flowery handwriting and name. _To Gabriel__, with all my love and devotion, Michael._ Schuyler almost dropped the book in shock. Charles himself had signed the book. It appeared to be a present to her mother, given more than 400 years ago. Shaking, Schuyler replaced the book and hurried out of the room.

Two hours later, Schuyler walked carefully down the stairs, balancing precariously in tight sling-back heels. She was trying Cordelia's trick of pretending she had an egg shell balanced beneath each heel. In an attempt to compromise, Schuyler wore a pleated black skirt and black tights as well as a shimmery gold ruffled blouse that had belonged to her mother. She managed to look presentable (she hoped) without giving up her own style.

Mimi looked lovely (_So what else was new?_ Schuyler thought) in a pale green cocktail dress that set off her eyes, while Jack looked distinctly uncomfortable (But devastatingly handsome, in Schuyler's opinion) in a suit and tie. Charles was dressed similarly to his son, fixing his cufflink as he waited for Schuyler to reach the first floor. Trinity, as usual, was nowhere to be seen.

Schuyler assumed Charles would wait for his wife, but to her surprise, as soon as she walked up to them Charles turned and headed for the front door. Shaking her head at the strangeness of this family, she followed them out. A single yellow taxi waited out front and Charles immediately climbed in the front seat, leaving the three teens to squeeze in the back. Schuyler waited until Jack and Mimi were inside before climbing in the cab herself, not wanting to create an issue. Unfortunately, this put her right next to Mimi, who immediately sniffed and moved as far away from Schuyler as the limited space in the cab permitted.

They rode in tense silence for a few minutes, until Schuyler couldn't take it anymore and spoke up awkwardly. "So who is this woman we're having dinner with?" Charles turned and looked at her before responding.

"As I informed you before, her name is Lady Prinche, a member of one of New York's oldest—and wealthiest—families." At the name, Jack snorted softly under his breath and stared moodily out the window, while Mimi looked, if possible, even more annoyed. Charles shot his children a look that clearly said _Behave_ before turning back to Schuyler. "Lady Prinche is a Red Blood" –Schuyler started in surprise, wondering if that was what was bothering Mimi before realizing Jack wouldn't care about something like that—"but as I said, her family has much affluence. Although she has never married, she has several great nieces and nephews who are among the most respectable Red Bloods in the city. I believe your Conduit Mr. Hazard-Perry is one of them." Schuyler raised her eyebrows, startled as much by the fact that Charles knew Oliver by name as by the added knowledge of Oliver's family tree.

Jack looked as if he were restraining himself from speaking, but finally lost the battle and burst out, "She's also petty, conceited, and greedy. She talks down to everyone and treats them all like her toys. She pretends to like everyone, but she really only cares about those who can advance her socially. Be careful around her, Schuyler."

Schuyler looked at him, thinking that his description fit a certain other girl—seated to her immediate left, not offering any names cough Mimi cough--very well. Before she could ask Jack to elaborate, Charles spoke up sharply.

"Whatever your—or your sister's—opinion of Her Ladyship, Benjamin, I expect you to be on your best behavior tonight. Lady Prinche is extremely fond of both of you--" Mimi hissed softly under her breath while Jack crossed his arms and stared angrily ahead. "--and I expect you to return her affections in kind. Fail to do so, and neither of you will leave the house for any reason for the next month. That goes for you too." Charles added as an afterthought, turning around to look sharply at Schuyler.

"Schuyler didn't do anything, Dad." Jack said, speaking up in Schuyler's defense. He shot her and apologetic look, and she blushed and looked down. He had the most intense eyes of anyone she had ever met. She remembered when he had guessed her thoughts on the steps of Duchesne after Mimi was arrested. Every time he looked at her since, she had the same feeling, as if he were peering into her soul.

Charles chose to ignore his son, while Mimi unsubtly leaned back against her brother, forcing him to look away from Schuyler. "Stop it." He muttered, shoving her gently off. She snarked something back at him, and Schuyler tuned them out. When she was little, she had daydreams where Oliver was not just her friend, but her brother. Sometimes she took it a step further and imagined that Mr. and Mrs. Hazard-Perry were really her mother and father, even though she loved Allegra as much as it was possible for someone to love a person they had never truly met.

There was a time when Schuyler would have given anything to have a brother—or a sister, for that matter; but judging by what she saw of Jack and Mimi's relationship, fighting one moment, ignoring each other the next, scarily intense and affectionate when they thought no one was looking, she thought maybe she should consider herself lucky for her only-child status. And then there was their 'immortal destiny' which Schuyler still thought was just plain strange. She grinned slightly to herself, imagining the reactions of her classmates at Duchesne if she shared _that_ little tidbit about Mimi—although she would never hurt Jack like that.

Charles coughed slightly and silently gestured for Schuyler to look out the window. She did, and felt her heart clench up. They were driving past the hospital where Schuyler's mother, Allegra van Alen, lay in continual silence and sleep. Schuyler did not look at her uncle as she pressed her hand against the glass, imagining it would bring her closer to her mother. Charles stared out the window, his expression miles away. Jack and Mimi did not know the significance of the hospital, but they caught the suddenly serious and intense vibe in the cab and stayed silent—at least to the other passengers.

_What's up with Dad and the half-breed?_ Mimi silently asked her brother.

_I don't know—and don't call her that. It's not nice. _

_It's not like she can hear me. _

_I can hear you, and I say it's not nice. _

_Fine. _ There was a pause in her thoughts._ Tight-ass. _

Jack's nostrils flared slightly, but he did not respond. Mimi looked at him for a moment, sending him the mental equivalent of a question mark, but he did not respond.

_Fine, I'm sorry_. Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. _But she doesn't belong here, and you know it. _

_Newsflash, we don't belong here either, Azrael._ He called her by her given name on purpose, reminding her of their fall and forced banishment to earth. They stewed silently for a moment, both hurt and angry. In addition to their own pain, they could feel each other's, which just made it worse.

_Will you please attempt to be formal to her? Call her by her name, don'__t cold shoulder her __and don't try to frighten her, be polite. _

_Why should I?_

_I'm asking you to, for my sake. Think of it as an early birthday present. _

_Hmm, a birthday present? And what will you give me in return? _

"I'll think of something." Jack turned to smirk at his sister, forgetting himself and speaking aloud.

"Think of what?" Schuyler asked innocently, while Mimi laughed silently at her brother and sent him a mental _Deal._

"Think of…" he fumbled silently for a moment "I was going, I mean I meant—I meant to ask when your birthday is." He said lamely.

_Touché_. Mimi sent sarcastically.

Schuyler gave him an odd look, before saying, "It's the 29th of August. The day before school starts, actually."

"Kind of a lame birthday present, huh?"

"Nah." Schuyler said, wondering why he was making small talk. "I kind of like going back to school."

"Of course, I forgot, Schuyler means 'scholar', doesn't it?" He smiled at her, his voice slightly teasing.

"Yes, it does." She replied, surprised but glad that he knew what her name meant. "So what does Jack mean?"

He thought for a moment. "Jack's really just a nickname, generally for John or Jonathan. It means 'common', or 'of all trades'. Benjamin means young son, or right hand."

Schuyler smiled, amused at his archaic knowledge. "So do you collect name meanings or something? I've heard of a stamp collection, but not a name collection."

He shrugged, embarrassed. "I don't collect them, really. I just like to know what they mean."

Schuyler stared out the window, watching as a drag queen attacked a sewage worker with her oversized pink leather purse. She smiled. Sometimes, she wondered how the 99.9 of the world living outside New York City survived their boredom. "So do you know any more?"

"Sure." He said. "Madeleine means 'high tower', or 'pure love'." He smiled at Mimi as he spoke, making Schuyler's insides clench. "Mimi means uncertain, or bitter, which I always found odd. Charles means warrior or general." Schuyler thought that fit perfectly. "Oliver means 'elfin', or 'foot soldier'."

As they continued to weave through downtown Manhattan, Jack told her the meanings of different names of people in their school and even some of their teachers. Schuyler listened raptly, just as interested to hear his voice as to the words he was speaking. Mimi rolled her eyes and leaned back in her seat, pulling out her cell phone and texting someone at a rapid fire pace.

"So what does Bliss mean?" Schuyler asked with a coyness that surprised her as they finally pulled up in front of a grandiose and imposing apartment building.

Jack smiled at her but didn't say anything as he climbed out of the cab and handed both girls out. As he helped Schuyler keep her balance in her high heels, he grasped her arm for a second longer than necessary and pulled her close, leaning down to whisper to her. Schuyler shivered as his lips gently brushed the shell of her ear. "I think you know very well what Bliss means, Schuyler van Alen."

**My sincere apologies for taking so long to update.**** Senior year is INSANE, especially w/ all the college apps. I gave Jack an interest of my own, collecting name meanings. I couldn't resist putting a few in, especially given that Mimi really does mean bitter. All of the name meanings are accurate, actually. I'll try to update more regularly, but no promises given the insanity of my year after only a week.**

**Oh, and points to the person who can tell me the significance of Charles giving Allegra a copy of **_**Twelfth Night. **_


	5. Meeting Mrs Pinch

**Melissa de la Cruz owns it all…except Lady Prinche. **

In her three days of solitude in the Force mansion, Schuyler thought she had seen the limit to the amount of junk that could be stuffed into a single space. Stepping off the elevator into the top floor penthouse apartment (which had its own button on the elevator that required a golden key) of Lady Rachelle Prinche, she realized she hadn't even begun to scratch the surface of the amount of useless crap one person could own. Scarves, muslins, and cushions littered the room like the survivors of an exploded teahouse, draped and layered over every imaginable surface—of which there were several. Ornate tea tables, chase lounges, low-seating couches, overstuffed armchairs, settees, and even a few hammocks sat and dangled throughout the room, creating a veritable obstacle course. Interspersed through this mass of cushions were vases and books, picture frames and paintings, stained glass bottles, fans and figurines, ivory pieces, crystallized insects, dried plants, and every other imaginable type of rubbish.

Surveying the sea of useless items, it took Schuyler several seconds to realize that one of the large cushions was actually a large woman, her rolls of fat spilling out of the armchair where she perched. Due to the excessive amount of pink lace surrounding her face, it was impossible for Schuyler to guess her exact age, but she would put her somewhere in her late 60s. She wore more makeup than most teenage girls, and her hair was obviously dyed, for that particular shade of blonde was unlike anything Schuyler had ever seen on a normal human being. Her dress was too tight in all the wrong places, giving the impression of a grapefruit forced through a colander. Like much of the rest of the room, it was pink, violently pink, and it did nothing to improve the visage of its wearer. Looking at this pink monolith, Schuyler suddenly understood the difference between wealth and class.

Prodded by a slight push in the back from Charles, Schuyler stepped into the room, followed reluctantly by Jack and Mimi. She breathed in and gasped, coughing for several seconds before regaining her composure. The air in the room was heavy and dead, clogged by too much perfume and made all the more oppressive by the excessive amount of incense and scented candles that burned around the room. When she stopped coughing, the thing across the room began to speak, its voice unnaturally high and girlish, as if it were forcing itself to speak in that pitch.

"What's wrong with the child, is she asthmatic? It wouldn't surprise me, given her breeding. She doesn't smoke, does she? Smoking is a terrible habit of the young. I never smoked when I was her age. Just how old are you, child? She's too skinny. Far too skinny. Probably has an eating disorder. That's the fashion these days, isn't it? Do you feed her, Charles? So kind of you to take her in, after her father ran off with some hussy."

Schuyler had thought to overlook the perceived insult about her parents, but that last comment took it too far. She heard Jack hiss a warning and felt Charles grab her arm, but she ignored them in favor of stalking right up to _Lady_ Prinche and saying right to her face, "For your information, my father did not run off with anyone. He is dead, and while he was alive he and my mother loved each other very much. My mother loved my father so much, in fact, that she has ceased to live until she can be with him again." She heard Charles start to utter an apology, but even though her cheeks were burning with embarrassment and rage and her ears were ringing from her own harsh words, she would not take back what she had said for anything.

To everyone's surprise, the Lady did not react with anger but instead burst out laughing, the booming sound several octaves below her speaking voice. "Ha ha ha, so she does carry some of her mother's fiery spirit then. She has her beauty, too, eh boy?" She directed her last comment towards Jack, who looked down quickly to hide his blush. "And even still, she has her father's stunning blue eyes." She smiled at Schuyler, and Schuyler suddenly decided that whatever her odd habits, this lady was interesting. "I love a blue-eyed girl." She told Schuyler in a whisper, winking at her.

Before Schuyler could even begin to think of a response she was shoved unceremoniously aside while Lady Prinche waved Charles off. "Ah, let me see them, let me see them." She ordered, and it was clear she was not talking about either Charles or Schuyler. The twins stayed back several feet from the chair, standing stiffly amidst the pillows and muslins. At a slight cough and sharp gesture from Charles they moved forward reluctantly, coming to a stop right before her Ladyship. Schuyler could not recall when she had seen either of them look as uncomfortable as they did now. Jack's face kept twisting as if he could not decide exactly what expression he wanted to make, while Mimi's mouth was set in a hard, thin line, her face tense, as if she were marching into battle. Clearly, there was something going on here that Schuyler did not understand.

"Benjamin. Madeleine. Come here and give me a kiss." With the look of two people who drastically wished they could be anywhere else, Jack and Mimi stooped down to kiss each of her doughy, rosy cheeks. It took about five seconds for Schuyler to figure out why she had overheard Jack calling her Mrs. Pinch. As soon as they pulled away but before they could straighten up, Lady Prinche had grabbed each of their cheeks and pinched them, jerking their heads back and forth. "Oh, it's _so_ wonderful to see the _darling _twins again." She sighed, as if Jack and Mimi were not right in front of her. "They've grown up _so_ much since I've last seen them. It makes me feel old."

She pushed them back from her but stopped them from retreat they clearly wanted. "Now, Charles, tell me how the twins have been. It's so nice to see the twins together. Children nowadays don't care a whit about their families." Schuyler stood in the corner she'd been pushed towards, swinging between amusement and horrified fascination at the way this woman seemed determined to delude herself into believing Jack and Mimi were too young to speak to directly.

After asking Charles several questions about all three teens (but primarily Jack and Mimi) and ignoring Schuyler in her corner and the Forces in front of her, Lady Prinche offered them all hors d'oeuvres on fancy little plates with sickeningly cute doilies. She then proceeded to expound her opinion on everything from income taxes to television to the latest round of American Idol, all the while explaining how things had been better in "her" day. Just when Schuyler thought she might scream from boredom, Lady Prinche suggested the three "young people" go to the game room she kept down the hallway. She told them she kept jump ropes and board games for when children came to visit.

Schuyler was afraid that Mimi would ruin their chance of escape as she opened her mouth, probably to tell Lady Prinche exactly what she thought of being called a child, when Jack stepped pointedly on her foot and told Her Ladyship that they would enjoy that, thank you very much. They stayed silent as they walked down the hallway, Schuyler following closely behind Jack who obviously had been here before and knew where he was going. As he reached to open a door located on their left and decorated with several hideously smiling children, Schuyler noticed his shoulders were shaking. She was afraid he was crying, until they all walked into the room and Mimi shut the door with a snap before sinking down on a child's couch with a sigh. Looking at him more closely, Schuyler realized Jack was laughing, his shoulders shaking with the effort of staying silent.

He flopped down on the floor with no thought for his suit, his head falling back against a stuffed rabbit. For several seconds the girls watched in amused puzzlement as he laughed to himself. Finally Jack pulled himself together and sat up, resting his chin on his knees. He looked over at his sister, who was shrugging off her heeled sandals. "How many times?" he asked, his voice still shaking with laughter.

"Twenty-three." Mimi remarked coolly, massaging her ankles. Schuyler looked from one to the other in puzzlement, sitting down at a child's card table and squeezing herself into one of the little chairs. Jack caught her look and gave her a dazzling smile, making her insides melt.

"I don't know if you noticed, Sky, but our darling Mrs. Pinch has a habit of repeating words. One word in particular, in fact. I don't know when we started keeping track of how many times she said it per visit, but it normally evens out around fifteen. She was in rare form today. Must have been because you were here." Schuyler thought back over the conversation, and realized instantly what they must be talking about.

"Twins?" she said hesitantly, starting to smile herself.

"Bingo." Mimi remarked dryly, draping herself over the sofa as if she were an Indian princess on her divan. Schuyler had no idea why Mimi was being civil to her, but she decided not to look too far into the issue and just enjoy the respite.

"So what's the deal with her, anyways?"

"Who knows?" Jack said with a shrug. "I could have tried to explain her better to you in the car, but there are just some things too unbelievable for words."

"That's for sure." Schuyler muttered, making Mimi snort.

"I don't know how old we were when we started visiting her, but I remember getting upset whenever my father took us to see her."

"Yeah, you really lived up to your nickname then, Jack." Mimi said in a mock-wistful voice, getting up to pace around the room.

"What nickname?" Schuyler asked hesitantly. Both of them looked at her with surprise and mild puzzlement, as if they weren't quite sure what she meant.

"Jack." Jack said, smiling at her. "You didn't think I just pulled that name out of Benjamin, did you? No, I earned that nickname." He said with mock valor. When she thought about it, what Jack said made sense. Having known him at least vicariously for the past ten years, she had always known his real name but never really thought about why he was called Jack.

"So what did you do to earn it?" She asked, her tone teasing.

"Our darling Benjamin here was always temperamental as a child." Mimi said, getting up and coming to sit beside her brother, draping her legs across his lap. To Schuyler's disappointment he did not shove her off this time but instead reached out and began absentmindedly stroking her hand. "Anytime someone told him to do something he didn't want to do—which happened a lot—he would throw massive temper tantrums; screaming, yelling, kicking, the whole nine yards. And one of the things he hated most of all was coming to Lady Prinche's house. Anyways, at some point my mother started calling him her little Blackjack, and, well, the name kind of stuck." Schuyler stood up and pulled her chair over to sit in front of them, getting close but not too close to make Mimi uncomfortable or, God forbid, jealous.

"You were really that bad, huh?" Schuyler asked Jack. He nodded, smirking to himself.

"I was a terrible child. Very…destructive." He said with a grin, causing both girls to roll their eyes.

"Lame." Mimi told him, before turning to look at Schuyler. "He was extremely hard to manage. I think he chased away about seven nannies before we turned five." Jack shrugged, clearly unbothered by the retelling of his past antics. "And he loved to pick fights with me." Mimi continued, making Jack look up at her indignantly. Again Schuyler was struck with the same longing as before. She wished she had a brother. Or a sister. But not one like Mimi, thank you very much.

"See this?" Mimi asked, sitting up enough to pull back her hair and show Schuyler her part. Leaning forward, Schuyler could see a thin white scar that ran about three inches down Mimi's scalp. "He threw a paperweight at my head because I'd taken something of his."

"Sorry." Jack mumbled, pulling Mimi back down to lean against him. Schuyler realized he was dozing off, and seemed perfectly content to have Mimi in his arms. She turned away, fighting tears. As much as she loved—and she could admit it was love—Jack and knew they had a connection, the more she saw the twins together the more she realized he would never be hers. Although they rarely flirted and never touched each other except in the most casually affectionate way, seeing them together it was impossible to miss the bond and the deep love between them. This wasn't fire and passion like Jack and Schuyler; this was love that had lasted through an immeasurable amount of time and trial. How could she even begin to compete with something like that?

She stood up and moved away, hugging herself as she watched the two of them slumber. Looking at them now, a pair of tired teenagers asleep on the floor of a nursery, Schuyler had a hard time believing they were the most dangerous angelic warriors the world had ever known; the Sword and the Scourge of the Blue Bloods. She had overheard the Carondolets calling them that at the Four Hundred Ball. It was hard for a newcomer like her to tell, but she thought that while Michael and Gabriel might command the respect of the Blue Bloods, Abaddon and Azrael commanded their love and loyalty. The way people spoke about them the night of the ball they had seemed excited and almost feverishly eager, like a bunch of teenage girls meeting a famous movie star. She wondered what the two blonde haired kids—for that was really what all of them were, wasn't it—curled up against a plush teddy bear had done to earn such devotion.

And where did she fit in? She, the half-blood, the mistake, the new soul. Was she a warrior like Jack? Or was she a powerful healer like her mother? She had saved Mimi's life through an incredible arduous task, but she credited her human compassion as much as her vampiric strength for that. And what about a bond? Almost all Blue Bloods had an immortal twin, someone they had been bonded to for centuries, although not all were as close as Gabriel and Michael or Azrael and Abaddon. Would she be doomed to walk alone forever, watching as Jack and Mimi mated happily again and again? Was there anyone who could love a lost and confused half-blood?

_He wandered down the hallway of Duchesne, watching silently as students automatically shied away from him. It wasn't a conscious decision on their part, they just sensed that he was dangerous and pulled away without knowing why. He smiled. Human beings had no sense of instinct, no intuition. And the once proud Blue Bloods who thought themselves immortal were losing strength too. They were too myopic to see it, but that was what happened when the blind led the blind. _

_Then she stepped out of a classroom, and he froze for a moment before sliding behind one of the rows of lockers. She didn't even catch a glimpse of him as she hurried by, lost in her own little world. The boy, that unworthy Red Blood, scurried after her, talking to her with animated arm gestures. She listened attentively, laughing at what he said. Unworthy, his mind screamed. But she…yes, she was quite interesting. Not pretty in the conventional sense, but delicately beautiful beneath those layers. Yes, she would serve quite well. _

_He cautiously stepped out and followed her down the hallway, a predator on the prowl. Up ahead, she turned to look at her companion, her blue-black hair swinging in the early morning sun. As she turned, one of her books tumbled out of her arms and he rushed forward to grab it before the Red Blood. _

_"Thank you." Schuyler said as she took her book from Kingsley._

Jack bolted upright, jostling Mimi awake. He gasped for breath and looked around before flopping back down in relief. Schuyler stood across the room, puzzled but unhurt. "Are you alright?"Mimi murmured to him, pulling up to look him in the eyes. Before he could answer, the door flew open and a boy strode in. Without pausing to even glance at Schuyler, he walked up to Jack and threw Mimi aside, kneeling down to be eyelevel with him. He looked at him with distaste for a moment, scowling with anger. Then he drew back and punched him in the mouth.

**Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers. I love how the Blue Bloods fandom seems to be growing. I think someone asked about Jack's dream. Well, as you can tell from this chapter, it won't be the last. Poor Jack is going to get some pretty scary nightmares very soon. **

**FYI: the character of Lady Prinche is based off of a similar character named Mrs. Mingott from Edith Wharton's **_**The Age of Innocence**_**. If you've never read it or seen it, you should check it out. The story is actually very similar to Blue Bloods. **

**Thanks to everyone who as put up with my erratic updating. It's been hard to write these last two chapters, b/c I want to get to the main plot (no, we're not there yet) but have to lay lots of exposition first. There are at least three, maybe four chapters to go before we really get into the swing of things. I'll try to update at least once a week, more if I'm good and my teachers don't try to kill me. I promise once ****I**** get through these next few chapters I'll update quicker and with more regularity. **


	6. Bloodlust

**Melissa de la Cruz owns it all.**

**A/N: Okay, this chapter is literally twice as long as any of the others. I tried to find a good spot to cut it, but nothing seemed quite right, so here it is all as one. Sorry about that. **

Even though Oliver Hazard-Perry would not stand a chance against Jack Force even if Jack were bound and blindfolded and his punch did nothing worse than bloody Jack's lip, Mimi and Schuyler leapt up instantly and grabbed him off of Jack. Schuyler let him go after pulling him back, bending down to make certain Jack was alright, but Mimi held Oliver by the collar of his Marc Jacobs polo and slammed him against the wall, causing several small dolls to crash to the floor, their heads bursting open in a shower of porcelain. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded, digging her nails into his skin. Oliver cried out in pain, trying unsuccessfully to pull away. Schuyler stood up quickly and grabbed Mimi, trying to pull her off Oliver.

"Leave him alone!" She ordered. For a moment Mimi didn't move, glaring daggers at Oliver, then, faster than Schuyler had anticipated, she spun around and yanked herself out of Schuyler's grasp. Schuyler remembered with sudden clarity that Mimi had already tried once to kill her. The two girls glared at each other, both of them tensing for a fight. Jack wiped his lip on the back of his hand and stood up, quickly placing himself between them.

"Everybody just calm down and back off." He ordered, his voice firm and booking no argument. He turned to look sternly at each girl, and after a few tense moments Mimi dropped her pose and stepped back and Schuyler allowed herself to relax. She walked around the twins to examine Oliver, touching his shoulder in concern, but he yanked roughly out of her grasp and turned to confront Jack.

"Just where do you get the authority to order people around? You can't tell me what to do, and right now I have a score to settle with you." Oliver walked right up to Jack so the two boys stood chest to chest, emphasizing the fact that at 6 feet Oliver was about two inches taller than Jack. The ploy would have worked better, of course, if everyone in the room hadn't known that Red-Blooded Oliver was absolutely no match for a Blue Blood.

Jack refused to be provoked. "If I've offended you somehow I'm very sorry." He told Oliver coolly. "At the moment though, I can't think of anything I've done to insult you, so maybe you should just cool it and back off and we can discuss this like civilized people." For a moment Oliver looked like he wanted to argue, and Schuyler crossed her fingers, hoping that the two boys she cared about more than anything in the world wouldn't start fighting. She shot a glance at Mimi, who ignored her. If fists started flying, she didn't trust Mimi to not help Jack instead of breaking up the fight.

To her immense relief, Oliver finally stepped back and nodded tersely, still glaring at Jack. He looked around for a place to sit down, and they all looked doubtfully at the child's tea table where Schuyler had perched before. Privately, Schuyler thought it would be amusing to see the boys try to squeeze in those chairs, but instead she said aloud, "How about we all sit on those bean bags?"

They settled in an awkward circle on a pile of bean bag chairs, Schuyler and Oliver on one side facing Jack and Mimi on the other. It was so tense and felt so much like a war council that Schuyler had to keep herself from laughing at the absurdity. She imagined to herself that this was probably what it was like for the Indians and Pilgrims on the first Thanksgiving 400 years ago…then she realized Jack and Mimi had actually been present at that Thanksgiving and the thought was less amusing. Oliver still wouldn't look at her, despite her many attempts to catch his eye, and she found herself wishing she had Jack's ability to speak without words.

Finally, Jack couldn't take the tense waiting and staring anymore and decided to cut right to the heart of the matter. "Why did you punch me?"

"Because you seduced Schuyler." Oliver said, glaring at Jack. Jack closed his eyes and tilted his head towards the ceiling, as if silently asking for patience.

"I didn't seduce anybody. I know there's been some crazy rumors going around Duchesne, but surely you know Schuyler better than to believe everything you here."

"All I know is that there is no way in the seven circles of Hell that Schuyler would willingly save her life." Oliver said, pointing at Mimi who sat up and gave him an extremely nasty look.

"Schuyler's a decent person." Jack said. "I asked her to try and prove Mimi innocent, and she did. I didn't order her to find Mimi not guilty, the results of the Blood Trial were completely based off of what Mimi remembered and what Schuyler saw."

"Yes, and didn't it worked out nicely for both of you that Schuyler barely knew what she was doing and had to trust that Mimi didn't find some way to alter her memories?"

"Mimi is innocent." Jack hissed, his teeth clenched.

"So you say, although as her brother you just _might_ have a biased opinion." Oliver said, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

"Schuyler found her innocent."

"Schuyler--"

"—is sitting right here, and wishes people would stop talking about her as if she were not in the room." Schuyler cut in, growing tired of their back and forth bantering. "Ollie, look at me." She pleaded, and for just a moment Oliver looked more hurt and vulnerable than she had ever seen. "I appreciate you trying to protect me, but I swear to you, Jack has not seduced me. And Mimi is not a Silver Blood." She said, careful of her phrasing. In her mind, Mimi was not innocent, but she was also not Abomination.

"Everyone says—"

"Everyone says what, Ollie? That Jack's some kind of Casanova? That Mimi's a killer? That Kingsley (she didn't notice Jack shiver compulsively at the name) is a damn saint? That I'm a slut?" Her voice dropped gradually as she spoke, and at the last Oliver glanced up for just a moment.

"Never." He said fiercely.

"Everyone said Dylan was a murderer. We know that wasn't really true. Please, Oliver, look at me." Finally, at long last, Oliver turned and looked into her eyes, and Schuyler almost flinched back at the love and devotion she saw shining there. His beautiful hazel eyes caught and held her own, and for the first time in a week Schuyler finally felt loved and safe. She reached out and took his hand, gently squeezing his warm fingers between her own. He continued to hold her gaze, and the emotion built between them, until Schuyler believed it was a physical presence. Then Jack coughed softly and the moment broke as Schuyler remembered there were other people in the room.

Oliver stood up abruptly, startling Schuyler. He strode over to Jack, who quickly stood up as well. He hoped Oliver wouldn't try to start fighting again, because he knew how much it would hurt Sky. To his surprise and relief, Oliver held out his hand, offering it for Jack to shake. Jack did so with some reluctance, not liking the way the other boy had looked at Schuyler…and how she had looked back.

He met and held Oliver's eyes for a moment, the two of them trading silent threats before looking away. "Are things really that bad at school?" he asked quietly. He hoped Mimi might move past some of her earlier anger if she heard the situation from someone else.

Oliver sighed. "Among the Red Bloods? They know something's up, but they don't know what. They're either completely ignorant or just as bad as the others, depending on how many vampires they know. Among the Blue Bloods?" He shook his head. "They all know Schuyler moved in with you guys, but they don't know why, and of course they make up rumors to fill in the gaps. But the general consensus is that Mimi is guilty."

"Why?" Mimi asked softly, and Schuyler was surprised to hear a real note of pain in her voice. "Why do they think that? Don't they trust the Committee?"

Oliver looked at her, apparently balancing his desire for social revenge with his natural inclination to tell the truth. "We—the Conduits and the Committee—are only realizing now just how much influence Kingsley had over the younger Blue Bloods. He curried more favors and built more connections than seems possible considering the short time he was here. A lot of the Blue Bloods—especially the girls—refuse to believe he's innocent. It's not so much that they think Mimi's guilty as that they need someone else to blame for Kingsley's crimes. So the story floating around school is that Jack seduced Schuyler to get her to fake Mimi's innocence. People really seem to believe it. Hell, I even believed it, as unlikely as that may seem." He said.

"Yes, shocking." Jack said dryly, and Oliver turned to give him a hard glare, but Jack only stared innocently into space. "I don't get it." Jack continued, getting up to pace like a caged tiger, his moments much swifter and more graceful than Oliver's. "Why do so many people like this guy? He's rude and arrogant and an asshole. And he's not even that charming or good looking." He finished, slightly defensively.

Schuyler and Mimi exchanged a silent glance, their thoughts for once in perfect tandem. They both knew exactly how charming Kingsley could be, and understood the considerable sway he held over the female population of Duchesne. "Don't worry, Jack, now that he's gone you can go back to being the BMOC." Schuyler said, her tone light and teasing, seeking to relieve some of the tension.

"Yeah, and besides, you're way hotter than Kingsley…" Mimi said, the words flying out of her mouth before her brain had a chance to catch up. Oliver spun around and gave her a strange look, clearly wondering if she were mental. Jack gave her a slightly embarrassed smirk and said silently,

_Thanks ever so; I handled my slip-up in the car, so you can find your own way out of that one._

_Well fine_, Mimi thought, _If__ that's the way you want to play it._ "…Oliver." Oliver and Schuyler stared at her, mouths agape.

"Did you just call me hot?" Oliver said, his voice strained. Mimi was about to dismiss him, when she noticed Jack staring at him with something close to jealousy on his face, while Schuyler faced her with a similar expression. Deciding it would be fun to milk this for all it was worth, Mimi stood up slowly and stretched her long limbs, allowing Oliver a good look at her body. She turned and started to prowl towards him, swaying her hips as she went and half lowering her eyelashes.

"Why not? You're certainly cute enough, and I do like a boy who isn't afraid to take action." Oliver gulped, simultaneously frightened out of his mind and extremely turned on by her. She stopped less than an inch in front of him and reached out, running her fingertips along the side of his face, feeling the barest hint of stubble on his chin. She slid her fingers down underneath his Adam's apple, feeling the blood pumping in his neck. He sighed softly, his eyes half closed, and she knew Jack heard the sound because she felt a low rumbling like a growl in the back of her mind. She ran her fingers around his neck, and she started in shock when she felt what were clearly two fang marks right over the big vein in the side of his throat. Before she could even begin to contemplate what they meant, she was pulled roughly away from Oliver and thrown to the ground. When she looked up, Schuyler was bending over her, a murderous look on her face.

"Mine." She hissed, barring her fangs at Mimi. Schuyler bent down until her face was less than an inch from Mimi's, growling softly at her. Something in her had reacted automatically when she felt Mimi touch the marks on Oliver's throat. It was something primal and bestial, and it demanded Schuyler protect her Familiar and remove the other vampire from her marks. She glared at Mimi fiercely, and something in her roared in triumph when Mimi looked back in fear. She lunged at Mimi's neck, intending to just scare her a little more, but as soon as her teeth were near Mimi's throat, something changed again.

Before she knew what she was doing, Schuyler van Alen lunged forward and sank her fangs into Mimi Force's throat. The blood hit her mouth, coppery and warm and ancient and _good_. Schuyler gasped as the memories flooded her mind again, and instantly she was reliving flashes of Mimi's life as she had in Venice. Running up a staircase at Duchesne, drinking a Manhattan at Block 122, trying on an evening gown at Barney's, all things she would have expected and some things Schuyler would not have suspected, like dancing barefoot in the street as rain pounded down over the city, or riding bareback on a young palomino across an open field, her hair flying in the wind. It was such as power rush, and Schuyler wanted to have it all. Underneath her the prey struggled, but she gripped its head and held it still. She was powerful, she was strong, and she would be fulfilled.

As Oliver had watched, still trying to recover from the shock of being partially seduced by Mimi Force, Schuyler had pinned Mimi to the ground and growled at her in a very un-Schuyler like way, and then she had straddled Mimi's waist and sunken her fangs into Mimi's neck. He stared, frightened and unsure what to do, as Mimi cried out and struggled before falling still. It was all over in a matter of seconds as Jack flew across the room and seized Schuyler, yanking her back and punching her in the face before throwing her roughly to the ground as he bent over Mimi. As soon as Oliver saw Jack hit Schuyler, he started forward himself, determined to protect her. He ended up half catching her and falling to the ground with Schuyler on top of him. In an instant Schuyler and Jack were both on their feet, crouched facing each other and growling softly.

Oliver stood, unsure what to do. He knew it would be veritable suicide to come between two angry vampires, but he knew of nothing that could stop them, short of a more powerful vampire…like Charles Force. Oliver turned and sprinted out of the room, already calling for Mr. Force.

Jack and Schuyler continued to square off, pacing around each other in short, quick movements. The vampire part of Schuyler was screaming for her to submit to the authority of the much older and more powerful Blue Blood, but the small part of her that clung to her humanity refused to back down from the challenge—and then there was that third, unknown part of herself that saw the other vampire as simply an obstacle and an annoyance that had interrupted her meal. For his part, Jack was struggling to control his anger and feral, protective instincts that rose up when he saw his mate's blood being spilt…and the completely human, brotherly outrage that anyone would dare harm his sister. He knew that this was Schuyler, and whatever her reasons she had probably not intended to harm Mimi. But the part of him that jealously said Mimi was all his refused to listen to reason and wanted to crush the interloper.

Mimi struggled to sit up, feeling as if she were fighting her way up from the bottom of a deep pool. She could feel blood congealing on her neck, and she reached up a weak hand to stop it, pressing her fingers into the deep puncture marks. As awareness came back to her slowly, she became conscious of a passionate anger and rage directed towards someone nearby. A second later, she realize the anger was not hers, but Jack's. She looked up and saw the Schuyler and Jack facing off, blood dripping slowly from Schuyler's lips, and the past few minutes came rushing back to her, along with the awful realization that the blood on Schuyler's mouth was her own.

Leaping to her feet, ignoring the way her head spun dangerously, Mimi grabbed Jack from behind and hugged him roughly, holding tight. The move forced him to relax and back down, and the contact brought him back to himself. As soon as he relaxed, Schuyler flinched and started to cry, and the twins watched as she slowly came back to herself, the horrible realization of what she had done hitting her full force.

At that moment Charles Force burst into the room with Oliver fast of his heels and Lady Prinche puffing behind them, taking in the scene before them. Jack's lip was swelling from where Oliver had punched him, and he had a small trickle of blue blood running down his chin. Schuyler had much more blood around her mouth, although it was not her own, and a nasty black eye developing from where Jack had punched her, while tears continued to trickle unabated down her cheeks. Mimi's hair was disheveled, an oddity in itself, and she continued to press a hand to the wound on her neck, her fingers sticky with blue blood that continued to drip onto the collar of her dress. Charles' mouth opened in fury, but before he could demand to know what the hell had happened, Lady Prinche followed him into the room, took one look at the scene, and burst out laughing.

"Hah, sixteen years old and still can't paint without making a mess. I remember when you told me, Charles, about the twins painting Benjamin's ceiling. Well, I must say their skills haven't improved much since then." They all stared at her for several seconds before the other shoe dropped and Charles quickly said,

"Yes, well, you know children if anyone does, Lady Prinche. Terribly messy, I'm afraid. I apologize if they have got—paint—anywhere."

"No worries, no worries." She said, shaking her enormous blonde head and chuckling. "But why are you crying, girl?" she asked, turning sharply to Schuyler.

"Paint allergy." Schuyler gasped out, trying futilely to wipe her eyes. Oliver came up and put his arms around her, and she sank into his embrace with relief, hiding her face from the Forces and Lady Prinche. His heartbeat was a steady rhythm in her ears, soothing her racing mind. He rubbed her back gently, and Schuyler clung to him gratefully.

"Why don't you all go clean up—there's a powder room just down the hall—and then come to the dining room for dinner after you've made yourselves presentable." Lady Prinche's tone brooked no argument, and they all nodded numbly. She held out her arm regally, saying "Charles." He quickly offered her his arm and escorted her out of the room, but not before he turned and gave all four teens a look that promised dire consequences once he had them alone.

For several seconds Mimi, Jack, Oliver, and Schuyler did not move, standing facing each other in a kind of standoff. Mimi leaned weakly against her brother, trying not to swoon as her head continued to buzz. Schuyler stayed hidden in Oliver's arms, trying to forget the terrible deed she had just done. The two boys glared daggers at each other, offering silent challenges over the girls' heads. The moment broke as Jack shifted his arm under Mimi's shoulder so he could support her, and the two of them walked slowly out of the room, Mimi still pressing a hand to her neck. As soon as the door closed behind them, Schuyler pulled herself out of Oliver's arms and tried to calm down, but one look at his kind eyes and she burst into tears again, sobbing harshly.

Oliver helped her over to the bean bag chairs they had all rested on before things had gone downhill so fast. She flopped desolately on one, and Oliver sat beside her, rubbing soothing circles into her back. "Do you want to talk about what happened?" he asked softly. She shook her head, but after a moment she sat up and wiped her eyes on the silk handkerchief Oliver offered her silently.

"I don't know." She said, her voice harsh from crying. "I just don't know what happened. As soon as she touched you neck I felt so angry, and I wanted her to know that you were mine." She said, her voice slightly apologetic. He didn't say anything, so she forced herself to continue. "But that felt, I don't know, _right_ somehow. I wasn't going to hurt her, just scare her so she'd stay away from you. But then I got down by her neck, and it was like this other person—no not person, monster—took over. I wanted her blood so badly, and I couldn't control it. One moment I was me, and I was thinking and reasoning, and then the next it was like I was watching somebody else bite Mimi's neck and drink her blood." As she spoke, Schuyler's voice grew stronger, and she sat up a little straighter.

"Have you felt that way near any other Blue Blood?" Oliver asked, and Schuyler knew what he was really asking was if she had ever felt that way near Jack, for he was the only other Blue Blood she had been that close to physically.

"No. But it was the same way I felt during the Blood Trial in Venice. Like I wanted to consume her, or more than that, to become her."

"You wanted to become Mimi Force?" Oliver asked, his tone joking but uneasy.

"Not literally, but I wanted to have all of her, all of her memories, in me. Do you think there's something wrong with me?" She asked softly, her voice breaking.

Oliver looked at her, taking in the dried blood on her chin, her bruised eye, and her disheveled appearance. He saw her ebony hair, her sapphire eyes, and her pale skin. He saw her heart-shaped face, her delicate body, and her gorgeous smile. No, he didn't think there was anything wrong with her, other than the fact that she was too perfect. "Listen to me, Schuyler." He said, and she sat up straight, for he rarely used her real name. "I don't know what makes a perfect Blue Blood or a perfect Red Blood. I can't tell you what makes a person good or evil or normal or strange. And I don't have a clue what 'average' is for a half-vampire half-human confused teenage girl. But I don't see any of those things when I look at you. I see a girl—a young woman—who has been my best friend my entire life and who I would do anything for. I see the girl who shared my lettuce sandwich in second grade, and the girl who tried to beat up Jamie Kip for me when he stole my autographed Mike Piazza baseball. I see the girl who camped out for three days with me to see the newest Star Wars movie, and then spent the entire time telling me why Harrison Ford was so much cuter than Hayden Christenson. I see the girl who wore a fifties cocktail dress with Armani pearls, just because she could. Maybe there is something wrong with you, Sky, but whatever it is it's wrong with me too because I love that girl more than anything in the world."

Schuyler stared at him, her eyes wide. She was crying again, although for an entirely different reason this time. She reached out and grabbed Oliver's hand, and before she knew what she was doing she was kissing him awkwardly on the mouth, and he was kissing her back. After a second he pulled back, and made a face. "What's wrong?" She whispered, her heart in her throat.

"Blood a la Mimi Force." He said, making her laugh as he used his handkerchief to wipe the blood off her face. He folded it carefully and put it in his pocket before turning to face her again. "Now where were we?" He asked, his voice mock serious, and she reached out and pulled his lips to hers again. In the midst of a night that had gone so wrong, it amazed her that something could feel so right.

Mimi limped down the hall with her brother, leaning heavily on his side. She was feeling better by the minute, and leaned against Jack for support more mental than physical. He opened a door to their right, peered in, and silently helped her inside before closing the door and turning on the light. Mimi peered around at a room that was as asinine pink as the rest of the house as Jack helped her into a silky lady's chair. "Jack?" she asked softly, looking closely at him. He stood with his back to her, his shoulders tense and his fists clenched. "Jack?" she said again. "Are you alright?"

He turned with a sudden savagery that surprised her and banged his fists against the door, the sound reverberating throughout the room. Spinning around, he kicked out at the porcelain sink, making it tremble. He hit the door again, and then froze with his fists clenched on the door, his back tense. His whole body shook, and Mimi realized a second later that he was fighting tears. She stood slowly, and gripped the back of her chair as the world tilted then righted itself. She made way carefully over to her brother, and embraced him from behind as she had done before in the other room.

"It's okay." She said softly, trying to soothe him. She wasn't good at this whole comfort thing, but for Jack she was willing to do anything, including set aside her pride and bare her soul. "I'm alright, I promise. Nothing's going to happen. You saved me, again. Every day you save me." He turned slowly and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight.

_I'll never let you go._ He promised silently.

_Do you feel this? _Mimi asked, gripping one of his hands in her own and holding it between them. He nodded silently. _I'm never letting go. Never. _ He squeezed her hand for a moment, then raised her bloody fingers to his lips and kissed them gently.

"Mmm." He said thoughtfully. "Tasty. I can see why Schuyler bit you." She stared at him for a moment, shocked, then both of them burst out laughing, Jack's ridiculous comment breaking up the intensity of the moment. Mimi leaned against her brother, feeling his chest shake with laughter. It scared her sometimes, how well they fit together. He released her, only to bend down and gently lift her up in him arms.

"My knight in shining armor." Mimi remarked, her voice sarcastic but light and teasing as Jack carried her over and gently set her down on the counter. He smiled at her but said nothing, turning on the sink and using a soft pink hand towel to clean up the blood on her neck and dress. He handed her another towel to dab up the blood that kept welling up in the cut, then bent down and peered under the sink, surprised but happy to find bandages and adhesive tape. He carefully bandaged her neck, ripping the adhesive tape and placing a few strips on her skin to hold the gauze in place.

"That'll probably sting when it comes off, sorry." He said, taking the towels and throwing them under the sink.

"Ooh, what will Mrs. Pinch say to when she finds those?" Mimi asked, her voice teasing.

"That children these days aren't nearly as well-behaved as when she was our age, and that we clearly need to work on our artistic skills." Jack said, his voice deadpan. Mimi smiled and hopped off the counter, gratified when her head only buzzed for a moment before settling. She was going to have to feed, and soon. She used a wet tissue to dab the blood off Jack's lip, then turned and examined herself critically in the mirror.

Her hair was messed up from Schuyler gripping it so tightly, but she made that at very least presentable with her fingers. She looked pale and slightly peaked, but hopefully no one would notice under the dim lights of the dining room. Her makeup was passable if a little faded, and she dabbed carefully at her lipstick. As for the neck, there was no hiding the bulky white bandage, and there were some in all likelihood permanent blue stains on her dress. She sighed. "And cobalt so does not complement lime." She muttered to herself. To her surprise, Jack heard her and silently offered her his white suit jacked. She took it gratefully and shrugged it on, glad for the warmth. She hadn't realized until that moment that she was shivering.

"God, I could have died." She whispered to her reflection.

"Never." Jack said, repeating her word from earlier as he leaned over to kiss her cheek. "I would never let her do that. I know I failed you this time—"

"You didn't fail me, Jack, how can you say that? You couldn't have known what she was going to do." Mimi said, turning to face him, her expression unusually serious. He said nothing, but gripped her hand tightly again.

"Every night you fall." He muttered under his breath, and Mimi frowned, uncertain if she'd heard him correctly. Before she could ask, he offered his arm and escorted her out of the room and down the hallway towards the dining room.

The dinner arrangements suited no one but Lady Prinche, which was how it should be, in her opinion. She placed the twins on either side of her, Jack on her right in the position normally saved for the hostess's husband, and Mimi on her left in the place normally reserved for the most revered male guest. Charles sat across from her, with Schuyler on his right across from Mimi and Oliver on his left across from Jack. It was little things such as this that set Lady Prinche apart from the other upper class members of society. She broke social custom without appearing to notice or care, but with a certain saucy glee that amused half of New York's wealthy and exasperated the other half.

The four teens sat through dinner in a stony silence, while Charles and Lady Prinche cared on conversation as if nothing were amiss. Occasionally she would ask Jack or Mimi a question and they would be forced to answer, but other than that they remained silent, even in their heads. Instead, Mimi spent the whole dinner making nasty faces at Schuyler when no one else was looking, taking a vindictive pleasure from the way she flinched whenever Mimi looked at her. Jack and Oliver held silent staring contests, each daring the other to look away.

Finally the coffee was served in little porcelain tea cups covered in horribly grinning kittens, and they could finally go home. "Can you stay with me tonight?" Schuyler whispered to Oliver as they left the building, staying far back from Jack and Mimi.

Oliver nodded. "I already called my mother and told her where I'd be. She didn't believe me at first when I said where I was going, but then I hardly believe it either." Schuyler took his hand and clung to it as they waited for a taxi to come.

"Whatever happened tonight was unacceptable." Charles Force swept down the stairs behind them, his black coat billowing out the like a cape. In the light from the street lamp he looked like the classic human idea of a vampire. "I don't have time to deal with the four of you now, but be assured that come tomorrow morning we will sort this out…and distribute punishment as needed." He said, giving Schuyler a hard look. Oliver put a protective arm around her and glared back, matching Charles look for look. "I have some business to attend to tonight, and I expect the four of you to go straight back to the house, no detours. I must trust that you will not have further spats until tomorrow morning." He turned and strode purposefully away, his coat billowing out behind him.

"What a tight-ass." Oliver muttered, earning himself a glare from Jack. The cab pulled up then, and they all hesitated, unsure how to seat themselves. In the end, Oliver ended up climbing in the front seat and handing the cabbie an extra twenty for allowing Schuyler to sit in his lap in the front, while Mimi curled up against her brother in the back, stretching out her legs across the extra seat.

They were completely silent on their way back to the Forces' mansion, each wrapped up in their own thoughts. After paying the cabbie, Jack unlocked the front door and held it silently while everyone trooped inside. After climbing to the third floor together, the twins left Oliver and Schuyler at Schuyler's room without a word, disappearing up the staircase to the fourth floor.

Schuyler opened her door and motioned Oliver in, shutting it softly behind him. She went into the closet to change into her pajamas, tossing an oversized tee shirt and a pair of men's pajama pants out to Oliver. After she came out, she found Oliver already lying on her bed with the covers pulled back. He looked at her softly, his eyes wide and vulnerable, and for a moment he was afraid she would reject his invitation. She crawled into bed with him, settling herself on the pillow, her face inches for his own. She contemplated whether or not she should kiss him good night, and then before she knew it both of them were sound asleep.

Upstairs, Jack was just dozing off himself when he heard his door open. He sat upright, peering through the dark, and then relaxed when he saw it was only Mimi. She padded softly across the floor in a pair of thick fuzzy slippers, then jumped up and sat on the end of his bed. This was a common enough ritual between the two when they were younger. Whenever Mimi had a nightmare, or sensed that Jack had one, she would come in and perch on the end of his bed like a watchful cat, waiting until he invited her in to sleep with him. He held out an arm for her, and she crawled up and under the covers, settling her head on his shoulder. Neither spoke a word as they both settled down and drifted off.

_He walked through an underground cavern, his movements quick and sure. Even though the walls were lit only by sputtering candles placed erratically every ten feet or so, he never hesitated. He knew precisely where he was going. Coming out into a wide cavern, he walked confidently through the room and smiled in satisfaction as several lowly Silver Bloods hurried out of his path. _

_Coming up behind her, he grabbed her round the waist and spun her around, causing her to gasp. When she saw who it was she smiled. "Hello, Kingsley Martin. You thought you caught me by surprise, didn't you?"_

_"Are we ready?" He asked. _

_"Almost."__ She replied casually, running her fingers along his neck line. He gripped her hand tightly, freezing her movement. _

_"And you're sure they'll come?" He __asked,__ his tone serious. She pouted and pulled out of his grasp. _

_"Yes, I'm sure." _

_"And they'll bring the…item with them?"_

_"Yes. __As long as you do your part."_

_"Don't worry about that. Just keep working." _

Jack's eyes opened, and he tasted blood in his mouth. He realized he'd bitten his tongue to keep from screaming. He scowled in the darkness and held on tighter to Mimi, who murmured and shifted in his arms but did not wake. It wasn't so much that he minded dreaming he was Kingsley, outside of the obvious 'ew' factor, as Mimi would say. In fact, going by his recent dreams, Kingsley lived a fairly mundane life. But it was the feeling of cold terror, the notion of being in pain and not being able to fight it that made Jack's nights restless and his dreams uneasy. He wanted to know who was fucking with his head, and he wanted to know now.

**Whew! That chapter was supposed to be two, but once I started writing I couldn't stop. Okay, thanks to my massive plot bunny, we only have two chapters to go before we really get into the meat of this story. Jack's dreams are very significant, and will play a bigger part in things yet to come. **

**Okay, now that you've read this chapter I think it's pretty clear who I ship. (I did say some of this once before.) I like Schuyler and Oliver, and I also like Jack and Mimi. There's a third couple I also ship, to be revealed in later chapters. This story will have some Jack/Schuyler, mostly because I think it is ****literally impossible for teenagers to be monogamous, but the primary pairings will be the ones listed above. On the other hand, this is more of an adventure/mystery than a romance, although there is plenty of all three still to come. So I hope all you legions of Jack/Schuyler shippers will give this story a shot, even if you don't love all the pairings.**

**Thank you all, especially my wonderful reviewers, and I'll have another chapter up by the end of the week. **


	7. Lawrence van Alen

**Melissa de la Cruz owns Blue Bloods. She is a goddess.**

**This chapter is dedicated to my wonderful beta, SoloMoon.**

**A/N: (IMPORTANT!!!) For some reason, the page breaks I insert haven't been working properly. (grrr…) So if you get to a part of this chapter and it doesn't make sense from one paragraph to the next it's probably because there was supposed to be a page break but it didn't show. Sorry about that. **

The next morning, Oliver woke early and jumped out of bed, forgetting where he was. Schuyler sat up and squinted at him, scowling in the early morning light. "What time is it?" she muttered, rubbing her eyes.

"Just past six. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep."

Schuyler appeared to consider that for a moment, then turned over and buried herself under the covers. Oliver, thinking she was asleep, began changing back into his clothes from the night before and almost jumped out of his pants when she spoke from under the covers.

"What are you going to do?"

He sighed. "I guess I'll have that conversation with Mr. Force, and then I have to head home. We're leaving for my grandmother's later today."

Schuyler rolled over to look at him again. "When will you be back?"

"Two days from now. She only lives in Olean, and she's getting old so she can't take company for too long. Think you can survive without me?"

"No," she said firmly, but her voice was teasing. "Be careful around Charles Force. I don't trust him."

"You be more careful, Sky, around him and Mimi too. I think she's really angry at you."

"No, you think?" she asked sarcastically, but there was no malice behind her words and she spoke without thinking. "Wouldn't you be angry too, if I'd taken a chunk out of your neck?" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. She sat up quickly and looked at Oliver, but he pretended not to notice that she'd said anything odd.

"Just tell Charles the truth. You saved his daughter's life; I don't see how he can be too angry with you."

"Just watch." Schuyler muttered, and Oliver sat beside her and took her hand.

"You know if you want me to I'll stay with you."

"No, Ollie, it's okay. I'll be fine. "

"Okay," he said, but continued to sit beside her for several seconds before sighing in a resigned manner and standing up. He kissed her cheek lightly before leaving, and Schuyler watched him out the door before curling back up under her covers. Without Oliver there, it was surprisingly hard to get comfortable.

After lolling in bed for another hour or so, Schuyler reluctantly rose, showered, dressed, and ventured downstairs. She walked determinedly into the kitchen, hoping no one else would be up at such an early hour, but luck was not with her that morning. Mimi Force sat at the kitchen table, staring into space and nursing a cup of coffee. As soon as Schuyler walked in she snapped out of whatever daydream she'd been lost in and sat up, glaring evilly at Schuyler. Schuyler quickly grabbed a muffin and an apple from the refrigerator, and steeled herself before walking over to sit down across from Mimi. She knew she would have to get this over with, and she knew it would not be pleasant, and that 100 to 1 said Mimi would not forgive her, but she had to try.

"I'm very sorry about last night," she said quietly. When Mimi only continued to look at her balefully, she tried again. "I swear I didn't mean to hurt you, and I know it was wrong to even try and scare you, but I just…" She trailed off again, feeling uncomfortable as Mimi continued to glare at her. "I hope I didn't hurt you too badly, and I swear it won't happen again," she finished lamely.

Mimi continued to stare at her for a moment, and then she stood slowly and walked around the table until she was face to face with Schuyler. She looked at her for a moment, holding her gaze until Schuyler looked down in shame, then said slowly and clearly, articulating each word, "I know you won't try that again, because you won't get the chance. You get that close to me for any reason, and I swear to you I will rip your fucking throat out. Understand?"

Schuyler nodded mutely, fighting tears, and Mimi turned and sashayed lightly out of the kitchen.

"Unacceptable. Completely unacceptable. If you cannot learn to control yourself then I will—"

"You'll what?" Schuyler broke in to Charles' lecture. "Send me back to live with my grandfather? I'd like that, thank you very much."

Charles rubbed his hand over his eyes, looking at her in annoyance. "I will find a punishment suitable for your insubordination—which I may remind you I am allowed to do now that you are under my jurisdiction." Schuyler thought that only Charles Force could make her adoption sound like a business deal.

"I didn't mean to," she murmured resentfully, looking up at him. "Maybe you should tell you daughter to keep her hands off my fam—my conduit in the future." She froze, biting her nails and hoping Charles hadn't caught her slip up.

"Your actions correlate with those of a Silver Blood," Charles said evenly, his voice heavy but with less malice than genuine concern. She looked down in shame, staring at the pleats of her knee length black skirt. He was right, of course. She had acted like a Silver Blood.

"I don't know why I did it," she whispered, looking up at him and imploring him to understand. "It was like I had no control over myself."

Charles looked at her thoughtfully, and to her great relief the anger seemed to leave his face. "I forget sometimes that you are a new soul, Schuyler van Alen. We all learned to control our bloodlust years ago, shortly after we first came to earth. Well, you will just have to learn."

"How?" Schuyler asked softly.

"There are two Blue Bloods who are known for being adept at controlling the bloodlust and at teaching others to do so. One is proficient in the principles of the matter, the other in the practices. I will arrange to have you taught by both."

"Who are they?" Schuyler asked, thinking she would not want to take lessons from some strange Blue Blood who probably resented and mistrusted her.

"Neither is a stranger to you, I assure you. The vampire known for his understanding of control is Metraton, your grandfather Lawrence van Alen. I suppose I shall have to allow you to see him at least on a temporary basis…"

Schuyler was so elated at the thought of seeing her grandfather again that she tuned out the rest of Charles' sentence, only tuning back in to hear the tail end.

"…other is Azrael, my own daughter Mimi."

"What?" Schuyler whispered, sure she must have heard him wrong.

"The vampire most skilled at teaching resistance to the bloodlust is Mimi." Charles said again. Schuyler felt the bottom drop out of her stomach and she gripped the arms of her chair, trying to keep herself from fainting. She remembered vividly Mimi's words to her only two hours ago and tried to keep herself from shuddering. She didn't know what learning the practices of bloodlust resistance entailed, but she was equally certain that it would involve physical contact and that Mimi would kill her long before teaching her anything. "You will take lessons from both of them. Are we clear?"

Schuyler nodded numbly, figuring she'd allow Charles to break that news to Mimi.

"So," she said, her tone too casual. "If I need to take lessons from Lawrence, wouldn't it make sense for me to start as soon as possible? Say, today?" Charles gave her a look that clearly said she was not fooling him, but to her surprise he sighed and nodded, picking up the telephone and quickly dialing a number.

Two hours later, after sincerely thanking her uncle, she was in a taxi on her way to Central Park to meet her grandfather. Before the cab had even pulled to a complete stop she was half way out the door, throwing a twenty for a twelve dollar fare at a surprised but grateful cabbie. Schuyler ran through the gate at the entrance of the park and looked around in dizzying excitement. She spotted a tall man with a full head of white hair ahead of her, and she took off at a run, causing several joggers and dog walkers to look around and scratch their heads, wondering if they'd really seen a girl dart past them, covering almost sixty yards in a matter of seconds.

Schuyler hit her grandfather hard from behind, causing him to spin around in surprise. She threw herself into his arms, burying her face in his tweed overcoat. He smelled just like she remembered, of tobacco and old leather and just a hint of whiskey. She hadn't realized until just then how much she missed him. It still amazed her that in the span of only a few months he had become an essential—the most essential—part of her existence.

"Hello darling," he said, laughing and spinning her around.

She pulled back to smile at him before quickly hugging him again, making an old lady walking past with her dog smile. She finally let him go and the two of them sat down on a wooden park bench. "I missed you," she said, and she was surprised with her voice shook. More than anyone else, she had wanted the benefit of his advice and guidance during the confusing events of the previous night. He smiled gently and took her hand.

"My son told me one version of what happened. Do you want to fill me in on the truth?"

She nodded numbly, taking a minute to collect herself. She knew Lawrence wouldn't judge her for her actions, but it was difficult to share such an embarrassing incident with someone who she held so much respect and admiration for.

"It wasn't a big deal at first. Mimi was flirting with Oliver and I got pissed off—"

"A justifiable reaction around Madeleine Force, or so I'm told." Lawrence inserted dryly, making Schuyler smile. She found it a little easier to continue after that.

"So she touched him neck, and then her fingers grazed my bite marks—"

"Ah." Lawrence said sharply, looking penetratingly at her. "And you attacked her, is that what happened?"

She nodded numbly.

"That is a perfectly normal and understandable reaction. It is strictly against the Code for a vampire to touch another vampire's marks. Of course, she had no way of knowing, but you are still justified in what you did. It has happened to all of us before. We feel someone touching our marks, and we become incredibly protective and possessive. It is even worse when it is your mate they are touching."

"But I bit her!" Schuyler broke in, not understanding how Lawrence could talk so calmly about something that was clearly not alright.

"Yes. That is regrettable, and slightly worrisome."

"_Slightly_?"

He looked at her seriously. "Are you attracted to her? I won't judge you if you are."

Schuyler stared at him blankly for a moment, trying to discern his meaning, then her face scrunched up in a disgusted expression and she cried, "No!"

She looked at him slightly reproachfully, wondering how he could even ask. "I find her unattractive if anything. She's a horrible person—she's petty and mean and nasty and possessive and—"

"And about ten millennia older and a hundred times more powerful than you." Lawrence broke in sharply, his tone slightly scolding. "You're lucky she didn't rip you limb from limb."

"I didn't give her the chance," Schuyler said, her voice small. "I just held her down and started drinking. I wouldn't have stopped, either, if Jack hadn't—"

"Jack?? Abaddon was there?" She nodded, not sure why he suddenly sounded panicked. "My God Schuyler, I can't believe I'm speaking with you."

"Why?" she cried, her voice hurt.

"Because the last person who did something like that to Azrael while Abaddon was there was destroyed, obliterated, and is in all senses of the word gone forever. I told you just a minute ago how the reaction is so much stronger when it is your mate being touched. Well, no one is more possessive than Abaddon of the Dark. Three hundred years ago, a Blue Blood named Wilford Gallant lost his mate to a Silver Blood. He was understandably angry and hurt by the loss, and for one reason or another he blamed Azrael for her death. Whether or not she was actually responsible I cannot say, but one night he went to her home and tried to attack her. She probably could have fended him off herself, but he surprised her and started to get the upper hand." Lawrence stopped abruptly and looked down.

"What happened to him?" Schuyler whispered.

"No one knows precisely," Lawrence said darkly. "Schuyler, I was captain of the police in that cycle. I saw the inside of the house." Schuyler looked at him, afraid to ask but wanting to know. "There was blood everywhere, on every surface. When I first walked in I couldn't believe it all came from one person. It was on the walls and the floor, the table, the chairs, the curtains, all over this manor house. Every room except their bedroom. And I asked Abaddon what had happened, if Wilford had turned as well, and he just looked at me calmly and said 'He tried to hurt her. I stopped him.' I asked both of them exactly what had happened, so I would know what to cover up in my report, but neither of them would say. No one ever saw the body. Just the pools and smears and puddles of blood."

Schuyler shivered, sinking back on the bench. She didn't know what exactly Wilford Gallant had done to Mimi, but she was willing to bet that what she had done was just as bad if not worse. She'd felt Jack's power and rage as they'd faced off, but it was just hitting her right now how close she had come to dying the night before.

"He was angry," she began hesitantly. "He pulled me off her and punched me. But he never tried to really attack me. He seemed ready to, but Mimi grabbed him and he seemed to snap out of it." They both mulled over this in silence for several seconds before Lawrence sighed and took her hand in his own, gently stroking her palm.

"Whatever Abaddon did or didn't do is neither here nor there. I didn't mean to yell at you, I'm just concerned for your safety and well-being. I don't mean to scare you about Jack Force—from what I've seen he's a very nice and polite young man. Just please avoid getting on his bad side. But now I'm prattling on again. I came here to teach you about bloodlust and about controlling it. I believe your attraction to Mimi—"

"I'm not attracted to her!" Schuyler said sharply. Lawrence gave her a look and she sat back in silence.

"Your attraction to Mimi's blood most likely stems from the blood trial. While it was unavoidable considering the circumstances, it was not advisable for you to enter the trial with no preparation and no idea what to expect. Hopefully your desire for her blood will wear off in time and with proper training."

Schuyler took all of this in silently. What her grandfather said made sense, and she wanted desperately to believe him. "So what do I do?"

"Once learned, the resistance is not easily forgotten. It may seem fuzzy as your memories return in each progressive cycle but you will never fully forget it once you know it. The first and most essential part is learning to step away from your conscience if the bloodlust ever takes you over."

Schuyler was puzzled by this, and said so. "But shouldn't you try and connect to yourself, to control your actions better?"

"No. The further you can retreat into yourself, the harder the vampire part of you will find it to attack mindlessly. The principle is much like meditation, or the human idea of counting sheep. You must come up with a sequence or pattern and repeat it incessantly, causing yourself to fall into a trance."

They tried for the next hour to cause Schuyler to slip into her mind. They tried counting numbers, letters of the alphabet, colors, and even zodiac symbols, but nothing seemed to work.

"…Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Virgo, oops, I mean Leo, umm…"

"That's enough for now," Lawrence said with a sigh, clasping his hands together as though praying for patience. "I want you to try this every night before you go to bed. Hopefully once you begin lessons with Azrael it will come easier to you. She really is much more proficient than I."

"Grandfather," Schuyler said, pulling him out of his reverie, "I have a question."

"Then by all means, ask it. The only bad question is one you already know the answer to but are too cowardly to accept."

She mulled this over silently for a moment, then collected her thoughts and said, "Why do all the Blue Bloods, even the grownups," --_even you_, she thought silently— "hold Jack and Mimi in such high regard? I thought Charles and Allegra headed the Coven, and I thought it was them everyone loved."

"They," Lawrence said, and Schuyler looked up in confusion. "The correct phrase would be 'they everyone loved.' And to answer your question, I believe it is because it is very hard to have respect for someone who orders you around but does not face the same consequences if they fail. Abaddon and Azrael are in the same boat as us—our failure is their failure. If Michael and Gabrielle lead us astray, they will not suffer the same dire consequences we will."

"But aren't they different from you? Aren't they more pure, more good? Didn't they choose to become vampires?" If Lawrence was insulted by anything she said, he did not show it, just sighed and answered,

"Yes. And that is why although we defer to Michael and Gabrielle, we trust Abaddon and Azrael."

"I don't understand," Schuyler said, puzzled.

"But you just said it yourself. Gabrielle and Michael are different than the rest of us. They chose exile, instead of falling into it. And while that means we harbor an incredible amount of respect and love for them, it also means that in some ways we envy and even resent them for being eternally blessed and in God's favor while the rest of us are forced to crawl in the dark like ants. But Azrael and Abaddon—they, we all hold in the highest regard, because they fell farther than any of us but still managed to rise out of the ashes. As much love as Gabrielle and Michael might have for us, they will never understand our decision, nor do they want to. Azrael and Abaddon understand, because they are Fallen Angels just like the rest of us."

"It's all politics," Schuyler whispered, amazed. "Michael and Gabrielle are like the strong front running candidates who everyone will vote for because they've got the power, but Abaddon and Azrael are the popular younger ones who might get their hands dirty but can relate to the needs of the people."

Her grandfather nodded, pleased. "After Plymouth there were lots of people calling for William and Susannah White—Jack and Mimi Force, to you—to take over leadership of the Coven, but William refused to challenge Myles outright." He offered Schuyler a small bag of warm, sugar coated peanuts, and she munched them noisily as they continued through Central Park. "Michael has never liked them, you know. He doesn't trust them, probably because he fears the support they wield and the number of loyal followers they have."

"What loyal followers?"

"Have you ever wondered why so many Blue Bloods your own age follow Jack and especially Mimi so religiously, copying their every move?" Schuyler looked at her grandfather, shocked. Of course Jack and Mimi were the most popular students in the school, but why shouldn't they be? They were smart and funny and likable and athletic and good looking and— Schuyler realized with a start that their school-wide popularity wasn't a recent thing. Jack and Mimi had the run of Duchesne since they were in Middle School, a time when everyone thought you were a piece of crap. It suddenly made sense that the Blue Bloods had a deeper, older reason for deferring to the twins.

"So all those people—"

"The current batch of Blue Bloods your own age has always been Abaddon and Azrael's strongest supporters. And, of course, another reason Michael fears them is they are the only Angels to have ever beaten himself and Gabriel." If Schuyler were startled before, it was nothing compared to how she felt now.

"They _beat_ them?"

"Yes. Of course, this was before they decided to turn back to the light, and they did have the help of the other Angels of the Apocalypse—"

"Excuse me?" Schuyler cut him off. "Other Angels of the Apocalypse?"

"Yes. Did you never learn, even in school, that there were Four Angels of the Apocalypse, one for each curse on humanity?"

"No," she whispered.

"The Four are split into two pairs, the Greater and the Lesser. The Greater is Azrael and—"

"Who are the others?" Schuyler broke in, trying to keep the panic out of her voice.

"Abaddon, Azrael, Mephistopheles, and Semael." Lawrence recited softly, and Schuyler swore the sky became darker as he spoke those names. "The Angel of Destruction, the Angel of Death, the Angel of Famine, and the Angel of War."

"Who are they now?" Schuyler whispered. "Who did Mephistopheles and Semael become?" Lawrence looked at her, and he appeared as grave as Schuyler had ever seen him.

"Unfortunately, when Abaddon and Azrael made the decision to come back to the light, their counterparts did not agree with them. They were extremely angry with Death and Destruction, actually. So angry, in fact, that they swore to hunt them and their followers down and consume them all. Semael and Mephistopheles became the first Silver Bloods," he said quietly.

Lawrence left her at the entrance to the park, extracting a promise from her to go directly home and tell no one, not even Oliver, of their meeting. "We will continue to train him in the techniques of resisting the glom, but until he is more proficient it is not wise to share our liaisons with him—not because he is untrustworthy, but because he is a Red Blood and therefore susceptible to suggestion." He kissed her cheek before climbing in a cab and speeding away, leaving Schuyler with much more than a spat with Mimi to think about. She sat on a bench and waited for another cab to appear, mulling over what her grandfather had said. So there were two other Apocalyptic Angels, angels who had created the Silver Bloods, who were theoretically as strong as Jack and Mimi.

Schuyler scowled in the darkness, cursing again her relative lack of knowledge about the history of the Blue Bloods. It was not as if Lawrence or Jack or anyone deliberately left her in the dark, but there were things about vampires that they had known for millennia, and automatically assumed she would know too. She stood up and began walking, tired of waiting for a cab. She'd promised Lawrence she would go directly home, and she was…just taking a little longer route.

She rounded a corner and stopped, halted in her path by the sight before her. He stood squarely in the middle of the sidewalk, staring at her with an impenetrable expression on his face. All day she'd been dreading this conversation, but as the same time she'd known it was unavoidable. Now he was here and there were things they needed to say to each other. She took a deep breath then straightened her shoulders and looked him squarely in the eye. "Hello, Jack."

**Ooh, a cliffie! (Of sorts) Okay, so if you're paying attention and keeping track of when I update, you'll notice it's almost always late Sunday night. That's how it's going to be for a while, unless the homework gods smile down on me and my teachers all magically move to Bermuda. So check in (really) late Sunday night or Monday for each new chapter. **

**BTW, I didn't make up the part about the Four Angels of the Apocalypse, although I did pick the names of two other fallen angels, names not necessarily associated with Famine and War. Oh, and Destruction is normally called Pestilence. If you're interested, do an image search on google with the keywords 'four horsemen'. **

**Thanks to all the reviewers, I really appreciate your feedback. Another chappie will be up by the end of the week. SoloMoon rocks! **

**Finally, (sorry this is so long) I'm challenging all Blue Bloods authors and readers to write! The fandom seems to have dried up in the last month. We need to keep the love alive, guys! It doesn't have to be something profound, but everyone should write something! (okay, my rant is done. Goes and hides from angry mob with pitchforks.**


	8. Vampire Twins

**Melissa de la Cruz owns it all. ****This chapter is dedicated to my most loyal reviewer, cali4me92. The first part of this chapter and the Jack/Schuyler are for her. I tried to do them justice as a couple, but I really don't like writing them, so forgive me if it's awful. **

They stood staring at each other for several seconds, then Jack raised his hand and reached towards Schuyler's cheek. She flinched back, and he retracted his hand but didn't drop it. He looked steadily at her and after a moment she gave him a small smile. He reached towards her again, and this time she let him. His palm cupped her cheek for a moment, and she hesitantly leaned into him, liking the feel of his warm hand. After a moment he let go and gently brushed his fingertips across the already fading bruise on her right eye.

"I really hit you hard, didn't I?" he said softly.

"I've had worse." she said, her voice equally soft.

"No you haven't." he said, dropping his hand and looking down. She didn't refute him, but reached out and grabbed his hand in her own.

"You were defending your sister. You were defending your sister from me. Whatever you had to do was my fault."

"You know, my father once told me I should never hit girls." Jack said evenly, and Schuyler peered up at him, trying to read him.

"The only problem with that is sometimes the girls hit back." Schuyler said lightly, gratified when Jack smiled. She smiled back, and both of them relaxed, turning and walking down the street in the general direction of the Forces' house.

"I guess I owe you an apology." Schuyler said quietly. Jack looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Not to be ungrateful, but shouldn't you be apologizing to Mimi?" She just looked at him evenly, and after a moment he nodded. "You already tried and she threatened to kill you." She nodded back, and he laughed lightly.

"I don't see what's so funny."

"It's not, I suppose. But it was brave of you to try."

"I owed it to her."

"Yeah, you did. Do you know what happened?"

Schuyler supposed she would soon reach the limit to the number of people who could ask her that question, but for the moment it was driving her insane. She couldn't refuse Jack, however, so she took a deep breath and started her spiel yet again. "I don't know. I just didn't like her touching Oliver."

Jack looked at her seriously, and Schuyler found it hard to meet his bright green eyes for long. "Is Oliver your familiar, Schuyler?" She didn't answer, which was answer enough. Jack took a deep breath and then let it out. "Just be careful the Committee doesn't find out. You could both get in a lot of trouble."

"We will be. I don't want anything to happen to Ollie."

"Yes, I kind of picked up on that last night." Jack said dryly. Schuyler turned sharply to him and placed her hands on her hips.

"Now wait just a minute. You can't get on me for flirting with him considering the way you were carrying on with Mimi!"

"He's human." Jack said tightly. Schuyler scowled at him. She couldn't believe he could be so bigoted.

"At least he's not my brother!" she shot back. She knew she was pushing too far, but at that moment she didn't care. Jack's cheeks darkened to a dull red and his eyes narrowed at her.

"I told you, I have obligations to my family—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But that didn't stop you from kissing me at the masquerade, did it?"

Jack looked up at her, his eyes wide in amazement. "How do you know?"

"I saw it in Mimi's memories." Schuyler said, her tone sullen. As much as she liked Jack, she was not willing to be his personal yo-yo, always bouncing up and down. "But you didn't answer my question. If you have such a strong sense of duty to your 'family obligation', why do you keep leading me on?"

Jack looked uncertain of what to say, and Schuyler realized he still didn't know that she had figured out the full extent of his relationship with Mimi.

"I…I like you, Schuyler. I like you an awful lot."

"But not enough to give up your obligation?" If Jack was not going to explain his and Mimi's relationship to her, Schuyler was not going to ask.

"What do you want me to do?" he whispered. Schuyler shook her head, at a loss. She liked Jack, but she knew they could not be together long-term, because Blue Blood tradition prevented it. She wondered dully if he even liked let alone loved Mimi. Coming to a decision, she stopped and pulled him into the relative privacy of a darkened street corner.

"Just live for the moment." She whispered, standing on her tip toes to reach his lips. She kissed him gently, and at first he didn't respond, too shocked to do anything. After a moment, he gently kissed her back, and Schuyler leaned into him, liking the feeling of his arms around her.

A few seconds later he pulled back and stared at her. She reached for him again, but he stopped her with a finger on her lips. Leaning down, he gently kissed her cheek, holding her against him for several seconds. He released her, and they stared at each other, unsure of what had just happened.

Before either could speak, a low growling sounded from the shadows behind them. Jack started to turn, and a dark shape came flying out of the corner, tackling him to the ground. He fell upon Schuyler, smashing her to the ground before rolling off, taking the beast with him. For a moment she lay there, stunned, the wind knocked out of her by the combined weight of Jack and the Silver Blood. She jumped up to help him, and then a second shape darted out of the darkness.

Schuyler yelled as the Silver Blood lunged for her, and Jack looked away from his opponent, giving the first Silver Blood the opportunity to throw him off. It darted towards Schuyler as well, and Schuyler backed up against the wall of the park, desperate to stay away from the monsters. Jack started towards her and then stopped suddenly and raised his fist in the air.

"We're here!" he yelled. "Over here! Sixth and Central Ave!" Schuyler wondered wildly who he was yelling to, as there appeared to be no one around but them. She backed up until her back was against the wall, the rough stone scraping her skin. One of the Silver Bloods gave a howl, and they both dove for her.

Jack snagged one by the back of its tattered shirt, yanking it away and attempting to drive it to the ground. The other pounced on Schuyler, and she collapsed on the sidewalk, her world spinning as her head connected with the hard concrete. She stared madly up at the treetops blurring above her, then her view was blocked out as the Silver Blood moved to stand over her. She searched its snarling face for any recognizable features, but in her fear she could not think clearly. She knew enough to realize it was not Dylan or Kingsley, but could discern nothing more before it dropped abruptly, its knee catching her stomach.

She gasped in pain, coughing desperately, as the Silver Blood held her head to the side and bent its mouth to her neck. She waited for the feeling of fangs slicing into her skin, but it never came. Instead, the Silver Blood was yanked backwards and thrown off of her. She looked up at her savior, and although the face was similar, it was not the person she was expecting.

"We're even now." Mimi Force said abruptly, before turning away to execute an impressive roundhouse kick on the Silver Blood. It took Schuyler a moment to realize she was talking about Venice; shaking her head in amazement she pulled herself painfully to her feet and started towards the fight. She narrowly avoided being knocked to the ground again as Mimi and her adversary came tumbling past, rolling over each other on the ground.

Schuyler yelled a warning, watching in horror as they moved dangerously close to the curb and the moving cars in the street. Suddenly, the Silver Blood stopped and pinned Mimi to the ground, smashing its head against her face. Momentarily stunned, she did nothing as it heaved her up then tossed her into the oncoming traffic. Schuyler screamed and started forward as Mimi miraculously managed to land on her feet, saving herself from a painful landing, but not quick enough to save herself from the oncoming taxi.

The cab hit her at an angle, and she fell to the ground, crying out in pain. Schuyler rushed into the street and grabbed her, heaving her up awkwardly and pulling Mimi to the other side. Unable to hold her weight, Schuyler let Mimi slide to the ground. Her eyes were half closed and she coughed painfully as she tried to speak, blood dripping out of the corner of her mouth.

"Help…"

"It's okay, I've got you." Schuyler babbled nervously.

"No!" Mimi grabbed her shirt and yanked Schuyler closer so they were only inches apart. "Help…help Jack. Now!" She shoved Schuyler roughly away before collapsing back against a parked car. Schuyler looked across the street, crying out when she saw Jack pinned to the wall by both Silver Bloods. They weren't attacking him, for neither could get close without releasing one of his arms, but he was obviously tiring quickly. Schuyler hesitated, knowing she should not leave Mimi but desperately wanting to help Jack. Mimi made the decision for her as she managed to lift her eyelids and glare at Schuyler through bloodshot green eyes.

"Help him!" she screamed hoarsely, shoving Schuyler again. Schuyler danced in place nervously for only a second before darting across the street, narrowly missing being hit herself, desperate to get to Jack. She jumped up on a parked BMW and used the height and momentum to throw herself on a Silver Blood's back. It yelled and tried to throw her off but Schuyler hung on grimly, squeezing her shaking arms around its neck. After several tense moments it fell to the ground, gasping for air. She shoved it down and kicked its head for good measure before darting towards Jack.

Jack gasped for air and held his side as he grimly tried to get in a hit at the Silver Blood that continued to lash out at him. He stumbled and started to fall, and Schuyler gave a diving tackle at the Silver Blood, not really expecting it to work but desperate to give Jack a few precious seconds to recover. The Silver Blood caught her in mid-tackle, grinning fiercely as it lifted her up.

It was the one that had thrown Mimi into the street, and Schuyler could tell it wanted to pull the same move on her. Before it could do so, she twisted in its arms and grabbed desperately at its grinning face, digging her nails into its glaring red eyes. It yelped in pain and dropped her, and she crashed to the ground, dazed. She heard footsteps pounding past her, and she looked up in time to see Mimi grab the Silver Blood off the ground and smash it against the stone wall.

Jack and Mimi each faced off against a Silver Blood, and one-on-one they seemed to be able to hold their own, although it was easy for Schuyler to see that they were both tiring quickly. Schuyler took a moment to collect her breath, closing her eyes and pressing her face against the cool cement. Taking on two Silver Bloods in a row had been foolish but worth it, and now she was paying the price as exhaustion hit her like a sledgehammer. She was sorely tempted to just sleep on the cool ground, but she knew that Jack and Mimi probably needed her help.

She climbed slowly to her feet, groaning as her bones creaked like an old lady's. "I'm too old for this." She muttered to no one in particular, hurrying around the corner to where she could hear sounds of fighting.

Mimi and Jack had driven the Silver Bloods around the corner into a narrow alleyway, hopefully protecting any Red Bloods who might happen by. Jack was trading blows with his opponent, the two of them punching and ducking at rapid speed. Mimi's movements were more strategic, designed to tire instead of hurt the Silver Blood. She made quick, small jabs at him, keeping him angry, then ducked and dodged away from his increasingly wild hits. Schuyler watched them in awe, thinking she could have stayed on the ground, for she was clearly unneeded here.

Jack kneed his opponent in the groin, and then hit him with three rapid punches in the head. Mimi had her Silver Blood swaying like a drunk as it fought to stay upright, exhausted from too many failed attempts at hitting her. Mimi glanced at Jack, and then at some unspoken signal they switched places in a move too fast to follow, facing each other's opponents. Jack drove the tired one to the ground with a single blow, while Mimi waited until the first Silver Blood jumped her, spinning neatly and throwing it over her hip against her wall, where it slid to the ground, stunned.

For several tense seconds nobody moved, and then the two Silver Bloods climbed slowly to their feet and limped past Schuyler, disappearing into an entrance of the rapidly darkening park.

"Wow, guys, that was really--" Schuyler cut herself off as she looked over at the twins, watching them with awe and apprehension. They both had their fangs bared, and they were growling softly as they stood tensely watching each other. Then, simultaneously they both leapt forward, and Schuyler started towards them, thinking they were going to attack one another. She instantly halted and stepped back in embarrassment, watching as they embraced each other roughly. They weren't kissing, but the restrained passion between them at that moment was so tangible that Schuyler felt she could reach out and touch it.

They stood with their arms wrapped around each other, clinging tightly together as they nuzzled each others' throats where the Silver Bloods had tried to bite. Then Jack looked up into Mimi's eyes and leaned his forehead against hers. With her ultra-sensitive hearing, Schuyler picked up the sound of their breathing and realized they were inhaling and exhaling in tandem. Suddenly they broke off and turned to look at her, Jack blushing with discomfort while Mimi looked both angry and vulnerable.

And at that moment Schuyler knew. No matter what she wanted, no matter how confused feelings and connections became, Jack Force would never be hers. However much they annoyed and angered each other in their everyday, mundane lives, when it came to battle Azrael and Abaddon were always together. They lived for the fight, feeling the same pull deep in their souls, the same savage joy that came with the hunt. And whatever Schuyler felt for Jack was inconsequential when compared with what Jack felt for Mimi, his fellow warrior, his other half.

"It's alright. I don't mind. I'll give you guys a moment." She said, turning away softly.

Unbidden, a memory of an event more than six months ago swam up in her head. "It's like you guys are of one mind." Bliss Llewellyn had said, shaking her head at Schuyler and Oliver. "Do you realize how hard it is to try and get between two people who think and act as similarly as you do?" Is that what it looked like to outsiders, Schuyler wondered, half watching Jack and Mimi embrace. A perfect balance of love, camaraderie, competition, and devotion? Schuyler couldn't help but wonder, and she had a sudden overwhelming desire to be with Oliver.

Schuyler stumbled as Mimi brushed brusquely past her, stalking into the street and raising her hand for a taxi. Jack came up behind her and caught her elbow, steadying her. He looked puzzled and confused as to why she hadn't reacted more to their display of affection. He opened his mouth to ask, then looked up when Mimi whistled sharply, gesturing silently to the cab. He looked at Schuyler and offered her his arm, the two of them stumbling over towards Mimi. Explanations could wait until they were all safely on their way home.

The cab was a van, giving them more space to spread out across the back. The driver looked on as Schuyler curled up in a ball in the corner of the middle seat, Jack flopped to the floor with his head leaning on the back seat, and Mimi draped herself regally across the entire back, resting her head next to Jack's. The cabbie opened his mouth to say something, then closed it and shook his head. The poor kids looked like they'd been mugged.

"Where to?" he asked in a heavy Brooklyn accent.

"Force Mansion, on 49th and Upper Lafayette." Jack said tiredly, his voice hoarse. The driver raised his eyebrows and wondered what three scruffy looking kids could want in Upper Manhattan before pulling the cab out into the heavy rush hour traffic and beginning the alternatively slow crawl and fast jerking up the street.

For a few long blocks no one said anything as they all took several deep breaths and tried to recover from their fight. Then, Mimi sat up and peered over the seat at Schuyler, who lay back against the window with her eyes half closed. "What do you know?" she asked, her voice challenging but not threatening.

Schuyler forced herself to open her eyes as Jack shifted to rest his chin on the middle seat, his eyes darting tensely between the two girls. "Just what Cordelia told me." Schuyler said, her voice even. This was not a conversation she felt like having now…or ever…but figured Mimi would not let it rest until she gave some answers.

"What did your grandmother tell you?"Jack asked softly.

"That she's your grandmother too, for one thing." Schuyler shot back, her voice strained and tired. Jack nodded, conceding the point, then motioned for her to continue.

"And…she told me about the bond. And about Vampire Twins."

"Did she tell you about us?" Mimi asked her, her fists clenched on the worn grey leather of the seat back. Schuyler shook her head.

"Not specifically. She told me about Michael and Gabrielle, about the bond between them. She told me about Egypt, how pharaohs used to marry their sisters, and how the Blue Bloods had bonded vampires born as human twins to keep them together. I kind of suspected then, but the 400 Ball confirmed it. Everyone was whispering about you two. It was impossible not to guess."

"You know, Mimi and I have never been born as brother and sister, twins or otherwise, before this cycle." Jack sat up and crawled onto the seat so he sat facing Schuyler. Mimi moved closer too, and the two of them looked at her, as if beseeching her to understand. "It's been a little…odd for us to get used to that kind of a relationship."

Schuyler raised an eyebrow, surprised but not exorbitantly so. It certainly explained their abnormal relationship and the way they treated each other. Mimi and Jack knew how to be vampire twins, but not human twins.

"I won't tell anyone." Schuyler promised, looking each one squarely in the eye. "That's your secret, to reveal when you want."

"More like when the Committee says we can." Mimi muttered, picking angrily at the cheap leather.

"When do vampires mate?" Schuyler asked, curious.

"When we're twenty-one." Jack answered. "It used to be sixteen, when you have full introduction to your memories, but times have changed and Red Bloods can no longer accept siblings who marry, let alone ones who are underage."

Schuyler sat back and digested this information for a moment before another thought occurred to her and she sat up abruptly to look at them. "What's your father going to say when he sees us?" Jack shrugged, but Mimi glared out the window.

"He better not say anything, considering how he's been wrong for so long about the Silver Bloods for so long. He can't deny their return now, because if he does I'll just challenge him in front of the whole Blue Blood community." Mimi said, her voice strong and serious for once. Schuyler looked at her and saw past the spoiled young socialite into the soul of an ancient being older than her mind could comprehend. She shivered and sat back, closing her eyes, determined to shut out the Force twins and the rest of the world for the remainder of the trip.

That night, Schuyler lay in her bed, dozing off after having showered and bathed her wounds. She felt herself slipping off into the Land of Nod, when her door creaked open and a narrow shaft of light pierced the darkness. She sat up abruptly and peered towards the door, trying to discern who was standing in her room in the latest hours of the night.

She had a strange sense of déjà vu as she saw Mimi Force in the doorway in a pair of cutoff sweats and an oversized lacrosse tee-shirt. "Mimi?" she whispered hesitantly.

"Were you expecting the tooth fairy?" Mimi asked sarcastically, and Schuyler breathed a sigh of relief. At least this time Mimi seemed to be in her right mind, whatever that might entail for Mimi.

Mimi came over and sat on the end of Schuyler's bed, staring at her for several minutes in the darkness. Just as Schuyler was getting nervous enough to call for Jack, Mimi spoke abruptly, as if forcing each word out. "I owe you another debt after today, Schuyler van Alen."

Schuyler tried to remember when she had ever heard Mimi call her by her name, then shook her head and sat up straighter. "No, you were right, we're even. You saved my life—"

"I don't owe you a debt for me. I owe you one for my brother, for my mate. You put your life on the line to save his. I recognize this and I recognize that I owe you for the life of the one I love. So name your price." The words were unnaturally formal for Mimi, and Schuyler suspected she might be reciting part of an official ritual. If she were serious, though…what could Schuyler ask from Mimi? She remembered Charles' earlier words about learning control, and she remembered the stunning sight of Mimi and Jack facing off against the Silver Bloods in the alleyway. She took a deep breath and looked up into Mimi's eyes.

"I want to learn to fight."

**This chapter dragged out longer than I thought it would. Oh well, guess the next chapter will be really long. We'll get some interesting interactions between Mimi and Schuyler, as well as another dark dream for Jack. Stay tuned, this story is about to really start rolling!**

**BTW, in case you guys couldn't figure it out, Jack called Mimi to them for help. You can come up with your own explanation as to how she got there so fast. **

**As always, thanks to all my reviewers and I'll have another chapter up by the end of the week. **


	9. A Promise Kept pt 1

**Melissa de la Cruz owns everything.**

**A/N: Sorry this update was a little late. This chapter is a two-parter, and the second part will be up by tomorrow as my penance for running late with this. Enjoy!**

When her alarm clock went off at four in the morning, Schuyler bolted upright in bed, staring around wildly. After she calmed down and remembered where she was, she squinted in the darkness and almost flopped back down on her pillow, thinking she had awoken too early. She blinked at her alarm clock and groaned as the events of only a few hours ago came rushing back to her. After Mimi heard Schuyler's request that she teach her to fight, she had stared at Schuyler for several seconds with an impenetrable expression on her face. Just as Schuyler thought she was going to laugh in her face and flounce out of the room, Mimi had nodded abruptly and stood up.

She grabbed Schuyler's alarm clock off the bedside table and quickly set it. "When this goes off, get up and put on some old sweats. Come down to the kitchen and go through the door on your left. Don't turn on the lights." With that, she stalked out of the room, slamming the door lightly behind her. Schuyler had gone back to sleep, decidedly uncertain of what the morning would bring, and figuring she could probably use the rest, especially after the fight with the Silver Bloods.

Now, Schuyler climbed slowly out of bed, stumbling her way through the darkness to her dresser, where she pulled open the bottom drawer and removed a pair of black stretch pants and a loose black top. Her vampire sight allowed her to discern light from dark, but did not actually enhance her night vision. She quickly changed out of her pajamas and into the soft clothes, completing the outfit with a pair of old ballet slippers and a scrunchie.

She slipped out of her room and began feeling her way down the hallway, running one hand along the wall. When she reached the first staircase she clung tightly to the railing all the way down, stepping carefully from one step to the next. When she entered the kitchen, she nearly killed herself before her training had even begun by walking smack dab into the kitchen table.

Scowling fiercely and rubbing her hip, she edged her way around the table until, as promised, she came to a door on her left. She opened it carefully and slipped through, and promptly lunged out to grab the door as her foot connected with air. Her foot slipped over the edge, and she swung awkwardly from the door handle, trying to pull herself back up. She cursed herself a fool for trusting Mimi. She should have known Mimi would not keep her promise and that it had all been a set up to humiliate and maybe even hurt Schuyler.

Twisting sideways, she managed to get her knees back on the edge of the floor, and she froze in place, trying to reestablish her balance. As she hung, the thought occurred to her that had Mimi truly wanted to get out of teaching Schuyler control as Charles requested, it would have been much simpler to ignore her completely instead of coming into her room at 1:00 in the morning with an offer for a truce and an acknowledgment of her debt. With that thought, Schuyler concluded reluctantly that Mimi must have been telling the truth, meaning it would probably not kill her to step off the edge of the floor.

Steadying herself, Schuyler took a deep breath and let go of the handle, pushing out and away from the drop off. Instantly, she fell rapidly downward, the cool morning air rushing past her face. She tried not to scream as gravity took hold and she fell quickly through the pitch black void. Without warning, she thudded down on something soft, and she breathed a sigh of relief. The fall had been less than fifteen feet, and she had landed on a large squishy floor mat.

Getting cautiously to her feet, she slipped off the edge of the mat and shuffled forward across the floor, wary of another pit. The attack hit her out of nowhere, and she was driven to the ground in seconds by a body colliding with her own. She lay there, stunned, and gasped for breath, trying not to let images of Mimi summoning a Silver Blood swim through her mind. Getting cautiously to her feet, she whirled and looked for the source of the attack, but it was impossible to see in the pitch black gloom.

"You'll never be able to see me." Mimi's voice floated eerily out of the darkness, and Schuyler spun towards the sound, her senses on hyper alert. Out of nowhere, Mimi's hand came flying from the darkness, slapping Schuyler sharply but with no real force on the arm. Had she wanted, Mimi could have knocked Schuyler down with a single blow, but this was not that strong. Still, it stung, and Schuyler rubbed the spot as she spun around looking for Mimi.

"I told you, you can't see me." Mimi said impatiently, and Schuyler swung towards the sound of her voice, only to be smacked soundly on the back of her head as soon as she turned. Spinning, she lunged wildly, but only managed to fall flat on her face. Out of nowhere (or so it seemed) a foot flew out and kicked her softly in the side. Schuyler yelped and jumped to her feet, then staggered and almost fell as four blows hit her in rapid succession.

She wondered if she had been wrong and this was Mimi's diabolical way of extracting revenge, beating Schuyler up in pitch darkness where Schuyler hadn't a prayer of defending herself. But as the thought occurred to her and another blow struck her midsection, she realized something. Mimi was hitting her. _That meant Mimi could see her. _Or, at very least, that Mimi could sense her in some way. If Mimi could sense Schuyler, shouldn't Schuyler be able to sense Mimi?

Standing very still, she reached out with the glom, trying to sense where Mimi was. Just as she thought she was starting to get a vague sense of someone to her left, a searing pain tore into her mind and she was driven to her knees, gasping in pain, as her brain seemed to split itself in two. After several agonizing seconds where Schuyler thought she might die from the pain, it subsided abruptly and Mimi's voice came out of the darkness.

"Lesson the first: Never, never, try to use the glom on another vampire. It won't work, and it will probably just end up getting you killed. Most Blue Bloods won't be as nice as me; they'll kill first and ask questions later."

"As _nice_ as you?" Schuyler yelled, her temper finally getting the better of her. "You make me fall through a random hole in your house at four in the morning with no warning whatsoever, then you start beating me up in the darkness, then you tell me I can't defend myself! What part of that was _nice_?"

"You are alive." Mimi said harshly, and another slap hit Schuyler's left arm. "And I never said you couldn't defend yourself. I said you can't use the glom. And I'm telling you, you can try all you want, but you won't see me." As if to prove her point, Mimi glanced five callous blows off of Schuler, dancing around her and hitting her forehead, her shoulder, her side, her thigh, and finally the backs of her knees, driving her to the ground.

Schuyler cried out in pain, but instead of standing up she simply crept away as quietly as possible, backing up until she hit the wall. Her head was pounding, and she knew she needed to rest for a few minutes before standing so she wouldn't pass out. At least with the wall at her back she had eliminated one direction Mimi could attack from.

She pushed herself slowly to her feet and edged along the wall, trying to breathe quietly and listen to her surroundings. She didn't understand how Mimi could be so quiet that Schuyler couldn't even hear her breathing. A foot caught her out of nowhere, and Schuyler fell to the ground, gasping in pain. As she fell, her arm brushed against something on the wall, and she lunged for it, desperate to find what she was certain was a light switch.

"If you don't like it, then stop me!" Mimi yelled softly, smacking Schuyler in the head. "How do you ever expect to fight if you just let people beat you up? Stop me!" she demanded again, slapping Schuyler on each cheek, making the skin sting.

"I'm trying!" Schuyler yelled back, lunging forward and accomplishing nothing other than losing her contact with the wall.

"Try. Harder." Mimi demanded, and this time it was her fist that connected with Schuyler's mid-section. Schuyler went down hard, the air knocked out of her lungs. She was getting more frustrated by the second. Mimi made her feel weak and flimsy, not strong and confident like she'd hoped. She clenched her teeth to keep tears from leaking out of her eyes. Lawrence thought she could do it, and he'd never led her astray before. For her grandfather's sake she would keep trying.

Schuyler walked back towards the wall (or in the direction she hoped was the wall), forcing herself to ignore Mimi when she darted in twice more to smack her on the shoulder. Schuyler knew she'd felt a light switch somewhere along the wall. If she could just find it and turn it on, it would help level the playing field. _Yeah, in the same way a feather would help a foot soldier stop a charging knight,_ Schuyler thought to herself. Nonetheless, she was determined to at least see her enemy.

Reaching the wall, she slid her hand along at eye level, feeling carefully across the smooth paint under her fingertips and keeping half an ear out for Mimi – not that it would do her much good. Schuyler was gratified when she felt the hard plastic of the light switch, and she threw the light, almost jumping out of her skin when the bright white light revealed Mimi Force standing less than a foot in front of her.

Mimi leaned towards her till her nose brushed against Schuyler's and smirked mirthlessly in her face. "Clever."

Schuyler growled and swung at her, but Mimi simply stepped out of the way and brushed Schuyler's hand aside as if it were nothing more than a particularly annoying fly. Then she used Schuyler's momentum to throw her to the ground. "Lesson the second: Never throw the first blow."

Schuyler scrambled up, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in several parts of her anatomy. She'd been at this for less than an hour and already she was about to collapse. She circled Mimi, the two girls watching each others' every move, both of them taunt and ready to fight. Schuyler tried to remember what Mimi had said about not throwing the first blow, but eventually the waiting became too much, and she feinted at Mimi's head before ducking to drive a blow into her side.

It never fell. Instead, Mimi waited until Schuyler swung, then grabbed her arm, and gripping it tightly, used it to toss Schuyler into the wall. Schuyler lay there, stunned, and glared up at Mimi from her vantage point on the floor.

"Are you thirsty?" Mimi asked, and the question was so out of the blue that Schuyler had to think for a second before responding.

"Yes."

"Good." Mimi said, and Schuyler had a bad feeling about the tiny smile that played across her face. "Well, you know what they say." Mimi continued conversationally. "It's important to drink as much as possible when working out. You can have as much water…and blood…as you want."

Schuyler stared up in surprise as Mimi held out two water bottles. One was filled with a clear substance, the other with a dark red one. Water and blood. She stood up eagerly and reached for both, but Mimi held them out of her grasp. Schuyler frowned at her in confusion and tried to take them again, only to have them moved out of reach for a second time.

"I thought you said…" she began hesitantly, frowning at Mimi.

"I said you could have as much as you want. I never said I would give it to you." Mimi grinned wolfishly, displaying her fangs. That was it, Schuyler realized. This was her first challenge. If she could just get those bottles from Mimi, she could drink as much as she wanted….if she could get those bottles from Mimi.

"All you have to do is land one blow on me, and I'll give you one of these bottles." Mimi told her, waving the bottles enticingly in front of Schuyler's face. Schuyler nodded once, then lunged for Mimi without further comment. She'd hoped to catch Mimi by surprise, but Mimi danced easily out of her grasp.

Schuyler did not stop to regroup, just threw herself in again at Mimi, throwing a flurry of punches meant to knock Mimi off of her feet. None of them came close to touching her. Instead, Mimi continued to twist and turn out of Schuyler's reach, easily evading every blow Schuyler threw at her. To add insult to injury, Mimi managed to do this while holding on to both water bottles, meaning she didn't have the use of her hands to block Schuyler.

Schuyler cried out in frustration, and instantly wished she hadn't. Mimi's offering only served as a reminder of how thirsty she actually was. Her throat felt like sandpaper, and breathing was becoming a struggle. She threw her fist out at Mimi, putting everything she had into the blow, only to be denied once again. The momentum from the swing caused her scrunchie to snap, and she scowled in annoyance as her thick black hair tumbled over her face. By the time she'd cleared her eyes and tied her hair back in a knot, Mimi was gone.

Schuyler looked around the room, desperate to distract herself from her terrible thirst. She peered at her surroundings, her eyes widening in wonder. The room she was in must have run all the way under the Forces' mansion, it was that vast. Large concrete pillars, the foundations of the house, stood at intervals throughout the room, blocking her view of the basement as a whole. She shuddered as she realized that Mimi could be behind any one of those poles.

Across the room, she could see various pieces of equipment, clearly intended for a workout, but like no exercise equipment Schuyler had ever seen. There was a large set of monkey bars, a tall metal pole thrust in the ground, an obstacle course of tires and ropes, and a large pit with several wooden boards lain across it. Her curiosity piqued, Schuyler made her way across the room, stopping in amazement when she reached the pit.

Mimi Force stood on the other side, still holding her bottles. Schuyler shook her head, wondering how Mimi could possibly have slipped all the way over here without Schuyler noticing. "Still thirsty?" Mimi asked sweetly.

"Yes. If you don't give me something to drink soon, I'm going to collapse." Schuyler said. She knew she was whining, but at that moment she was too thirsty, tired, and sore to care.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm afraid we might have a slight misunderstanding. I'm not going to _give_ these to you. You have to _take_ them from me." Mimi said coolly, arching her eyebrows at Schuyler. "You have to earn this. Want to know how?" Schuyler nodded numbly.

"It's simple, really. Just cross this pit, and you can have one of the bottles." Mimi told her, gesturing the pit in front of her. Schuyler examined it, thinking quickly. The pit was no more than twenty feet across and five feet deep, but the boards she would have to use to jump it were only three inches wide and located a foot and a half apart. She grimaced, not sure she was up to the challenge, but she did not think she had much of a choice.

She took a deep breath, about to jump to the first board, when Mimi spoke again. "Oh, and Schuyler? Every time you fall, you start over." Schuyler did not even waste a breath to scowl at her, just took a running leap and propelled herself onto the first board. Her left foot landed squarely, while her right shot out from underneath her. She propelled her arms wildly, not caring if she looked foolish, and managed to get both feet firmly on the board.

Schuyler looked across at the fifteen or so remaining boards, and almost cried. Now she would have to use her own strength alone to get from board to board, there was no runway for her to gain momentum. Taking a deep breath, she crouched and sprang, landing on the next board, then did the same motion to get to the next.

She fell on the fifth board. She climbed out of the dirt pit to start over, and this time she fell on the third board. The next time she fell on the seventh. The time after that, the second. As she scrambled out yet again, she realized this was not working. She was using up her precious energy much too quickly, and soon she would be too tired to jump at all. Clearly, she would have to try something else.

Schuyler squinted across the void to where Mimi stood, calmly twirling the bottles in her hand. Clenching her teeth, Schuyler focused on the smug expression on Mimi's face, and without moving her eyes from that spot, took a running leap onto the first board. This time, when only one foot connected she did not stop, but threw herself forward onto her other foot, grinning when it connected with the second board. She did not stop there, but threw herself forward again, using her momentum to fly from one board to the next. The entire time she teetered and almost fell, constantly close to losing her balance, but she found if she kept the motion going she could stave off the fall.

Schuyler almost fell backwards in surprise when her feet hit the solid ground on the other side, and she grinned triumphantly into Mimi's startled face. Mimi looked at her, and for a moment Schuyler thought she was actually going to smile, but instead she held the two bottles out in front of Schuyler.

"Choose." She said simply.

Schuyler didn't even think about it, just grabbed the water and gratefully gulped it down. She didn't know whose blood was in the bottle, didn't even know for sure if it was blood, and her human instincts were screaming for water. Satiated, she looked up at Mimi and grinned tiredly. She was sore beyond belief, her muscles were jumping from strain, she was in more pain than she could ever remember being in before, and she was tired and hungry and still very thirsty, but the fact that she had just done something Mimi clearly thought she couldn't gave her the strength to look up into Mimi's face and grin.

"So what's next?" she asked cockily. Mimi rolled her eyes and pointed Schuyler in the direction of a vaulting horse.

If Schuyler thought she was sore earlier, it was nothing compared to how she felt now. Judging by her internal clock, it was late afternoon, and she was ready to fall to the ground—except that would have actually required her to move.

All day they had worked, alternating sparring with different "challenges". For every challenge she completed, Schuyler won a bottle of water or blood—around noon, her stomach had insisted she take the blood—which was powerful motivation to keep trying, for she desperately needed the liquids to keep her going. Mimi had upped the ante and told Schuyler if she could hit her then Schuyler could have two bottles at once, but that had never happened. Mimi was just too good, and Schuyler did not have the patience to wait for Mimi to strike the first blow, despite the number of times Mimi had screamed at her for hitting too fast.

Over the course of the day, Schuyler had won three bottles of water (including the first early in the morning) and two bottles of blood. As such, she was now starving, her sides heaving from lack of food, but at the same time the burn she felt was a good burn, the burn of real battle. Schuyler had managed to jump five vaulting horses in a row, dance through a series of tires while Mimi hit her legs with a wooden pole, swing across a set of monkey bars that wobbled and bounced as she grabbed them, and run around the entire basement ten times in under a minute.

The last task had been easy, for Schuyler had already learned that particular trick from her grandfather, but if Mimi found anything odd she hadn't said anything, just offered Schuyler a bottle of water. In fact, the only challenge that Schuyler had not been able to complete, given enough time, was climbing the large metal pole that stood in the center of the room.

Climbing the pole itself would have been difficult enough, for it was smooth and slippery with no surface to cling to, but Schuyler thought she could have done it—if it hadn't been for the rings. When Mimi had pointed wordlessly to the pole, Schuyler had started to scramble up it, but before she had gone five feet Mimi had grabbed her ankle and yanked her roughly to the ground.

"You must take these to the top with you." Mimi said, handing Schuyler four heavy metal rings, each of which weighed a good eight pounds. Each silver ring was attached to a ribbon, and at first Schuyler thought of the movie _Mulan_, and thought she could scramble up using the rings as handholds. Then she had paused.

"I have to carry all four to the top?" she asked, looking uneasily at the nearly thirty pounds of metal.

"All four must go to the top with you." Mimi said, offering no further explanation.

Looking doubtful, Schuyler had wrapped two of the ribbons around her wrists, then draped the remaining two around her shoulders. Ten times she tried to make some headway on the pole, but all ten times she fell before she had gone more than a few feet. Finally, she had had to admit defeat, and tolerate the smug expression on Mimi's face when she told Schuyler she couldn't have any water until she completed another challenge.

Now, the girls stood facing each other, both of them sweating heavily, panting from exhaustion. At some point during the day it had become too hot to keep wearing shirts, and since there was no one in the basement but themselves, both Schuyler and Mimi had stripped down to their sports bras, tossing their loose shirts to the side.

"What now?" Schuyler asked tiredly. Speaking in complete sentences had become too strenuous a task at some point during the day.

"Pass me, and you can go." Schuyler glance behind Mimi to see an open door way and a set of stairs that presumably led to the first floor of the house.

"There's a staircase that leads down here? Why'd you make me fall through that hole?" Schuyler demanded, trying to keep the anger out of her voice. If she had to try (try being the operative word) to beat Mimi once again, she didn't need her angry.

"That was your first test." Mimi replied, sweeping several strands of blonde hair off her face and tucking them into her bandana. Even drenched in sweat and with sticky hair Mimi managed to look good. Schuyler shook her head, not understanding.

"If you weren't daring enough to take that first plunge into the unknown, if you didn't have the guts to fall into the darkness, if you weren't brave enough, to put it plainly, then there was no point in my trying to teach you anything."

"Oh." Schuyler said softly, thinking she might just have been simultaneously insulted and complimented by Mimi. With that, she took off, running darting behind a pillar and spiraling her way around the room, leaving a very puzzled Mimi standing before the doorway.

Schuyler was not dumb enough to think that after a day of hard work outs, battles and bruises she could take on Mimi Force in a fight. So, she would have to go around her some other way. After all, Mimi had not said, 'beat me and you can go', she'd said 'pass me and you can go'. If Schuyler could keep her wits about her, she could get up that staircase without ever having to lay a hand on Mimi.

Schuyler ran around the room, sticking close to the edges but dodging behind any pillars or obstacles that presented themselves. Her entire plan rested on Mimi not being able to see her until it was too late. Coming in a complete circle, Schuyler darted behind a concrete pillar near the doorway and waited. As she'd hoped, Mimi had not chased her, but stayed guarding the door, turning from side to side as she tried to spot where Schuyler had gone.

Reaching down, Schuyler carefully undid one of her ballet slippers, sliding it noiselessly off her foot. She was borrowing a move from _The Nutcracker_, and she prayed that it would work. She balled up the slipper then flung it as hard as she could off to her right. It hit the wall with a dull 'thud', and Mimi's head turned towards the sound.

Schuyler jumped up and sprinted full out for the doorway, pouring all her remaining energy into her speed. If this didn't work she was dead, because she would have absolutely nothing left to keep going with. She flew past Mimi on her left, hitting the stairs just as Mimi turned towards her. She panted for the top, and just as her hand reached the doorknob she felt a strong arm close around her waist and yank her to a halt.

She turned to face Mimi, the tears of defeat already welling in her eyes, but Mimi simply offered Schuyler her shirt and said, "Maybe you don't mind walking out wearing nothing but sweats and a bra, but I think my father might have a problem with it."

Schuyler stared at her in disbelief for a second, then took her shirt and pulled it over her head. "I can go?" she asked, hardly daring to believe it.

"You can go." Mimi replied, climbing past Schuyler and opening the door. "But I expect to see you down here at the same time tomorrow morning."

Schuyler watched wordlessly as Mimi walked out, noticing wryly that Mimi had not bothered to put her shirt back on. She followed, swaying with exhaustion and trying to let her thoughts catch up with themselves. Today had been odd, to say the least.

Schuyler found herself in the library, and she blushed crimson as Jack Force looked up from the book he was reading, taking in the two sweat soaked girls, his eyes lingering on Mimi. He grinned, and Schuyler knew he was checking them out.

"And just what have you two been doing?" he asked, his voice teasing.

Mimi winked at Schuyler then to everyone's shock she laced her arm through Schuyler's, resting her head on Schuyler's shoulder as she looked down at her brother. "Absolutely nothing." She said airily, flouncing out of the room and pulling Schuyler with her.

As soon as they were out of sight Mimi pushed Schuyler lightly away from her, and although Schuyler knew that little performance had been all for Jack's benefit, she couldn't help but grin as she climbed the staircase to the second floor.

**Okay, ****so the second part of this chapter will be up shortly (hopefully within a few hours). It will have a continuation of Schuyler's lessons, with an appearance by Oliver and a longer appearance by Jack. Oh, and things will be infinitely more interesting at the end of the second half…**


	10. A Promise Kept pt 2

**Chapter Nine Part II, as promised.**

**Wow, several people to credit: ****Melissa de la Cruz owns Blue Bloods, George Lucas owns Star Wars, Anne Rice owns The Vampire Chronicles, C. Craig ****Coomer**** owns The Lone Ranger, ****and Guns and Roses owns Sympathy for the Devil. ****In addition, some of the fight sequences are LOOSLEY based off similar parts of D. J. ****MacHale's****Pendragon****: The Rivers of ****Zadaa**

For the next week, that became Mimi and Schuyler's routine. Rising early, the girls would make their way down to the basement where Schuyler would be subjected to a daily round of 'punch the Schuyler'. Despite Mimi's insistence that she wouldn't be able to see her and that Schuyler could defend herself, Schuyler continued to suffer blow after blow in the darkness without landing a single one of her own.

The diabolical torture, as Schuyler thought of it, would continue until Schuyler eventually found the light switch and gained the power of sight, at which point they would move on to sparring or different challenges. After the first few days, Schuyler became very quick at finding the light switch, and Mimi would work hard to keep her from getting close to the wall.

In addition, with the exception of the pole, Schuyler was soon able to complete all the obstacles so well that Mimi started putting time limits on her tasks. Schuyler soon found that climbing the large rope ladder was much more difficult if she didn't have time to plan each move.

And then there was the sparring. Whenever Schuyler was not completing a challenge or following some stretching exercises that Mimi had assigned her, they sparred. Back and forth, up and down, all across the room, over and under the obstacles. After a few days Schuyler found she was able to anticipate and block some of Mimi's blows, even if she couldn't land any herself.

After a week, Mimi tossed her a wooden pole and barely gave her time to prepare herself before she went after Schuyler with her own pole, scoring several hits that gave Schuyler an aching head ache later that night. It was also in the second week that Oliver joined them.

However Mimi had been supplying Schuyler with blood, her supply had run out quickly, and on the fifth day she had only one bottle of blood to offer Schuyler. When Schuyler pointed out the unfairness of this, Mimi's only response was to hit her several times with her wooden pole. Mimi's solution, it seemed, was to bring Oliver into their practices as a silent—Mimi quite literally knocked this into his head on the first day—observer and food source.

It was hard for Oliver to watch Schuyler take blow after blow without getting any of her own back, but when Mimi threatened to ban him completely he shut up and kept drinking the orange juice and milk that the girls kept pushing on him to build up his strength and blood supply.

Although Schuyler progressed in many ways—she was much stronger, not to mention toned and muscular than when they had began eight days ago—she could never beat Mimi or climb the pole. Mimi had given up on the pole after the sixth day, when Schuyler had momentarily passed out from exhaustion after trying and failing seventeen times to climb it. To Schuyler's surprise it wasn't her own failure that hurt her so much as the genuine disappointment in Mimi's eyes.

But no matter what she tried, she could not beat Mimi, and eventually the mental stress began to affect her just as much as the physical. She stopped seeing Mimi as a person and began seeing her simply as the fist that flew out in the darkness, the pole that struck her head repeatedly, and the taunting bottles of water and blood dangled in front of her face.

It was on the twelfth morning that Schuyler finally cracked. Oliver would not be joining them until noon due to a family obligation, and Schuyler was surprised at how disappointed she was that he would not be there to silently encourage her. Add to that the fact that she had gotten almost no sleep the night before and one of her eyes was swollen shut from a careless move on her part when dodging through an obstacle course of swinging pendulums and Schuyler was not having a good morning.

So when Mimi started off the morning with her usual taunting slaps and hits, Schuyler was a little angrier than usual. After she took a few blows, she ducked away from the direction of the last one and headed by memory for the light switch, only to find her path blocked by a roundhouse kick to her shins that drove her to the ground.

Growling, she picked herself up and started off again, ignoring the slaps that stung her arms and cheeks. Then Mimi picked her up and bodily threw her to the ground, making Schuyler lose several feet and all sense of direction in her quest for the light. Still, she grimly ignored it and headed off in what she hoped was the right direction.

When she was thrown a second time, Schuyler snapped.

"That's it. I'm done, Mimi." She said angrily, scowling in the darkness. "I've had enough. I give up."

"You can't!"Mimi said, her own voice tight with anger. "I won't let you."

"Try and stop me." Schuyler said petulantly, sitting down on the ground and crossing her arms.

Mimi cried out in frustration, kicking out at Schuyler with a little more force than usual.

"Coward." She hissed.

"What did you call me?" Schuyler demanded.

"Coward." Mimi ground out again, her voice vindictive. It was the same voice that had taunted Schuyler in the halls of Duchesne for the past decade, and she hated it. When Mimi kicked her again, Schuyler grabbed her foot and threw her to the ground.

She was so shocked by what she'd done that she apologized without thinking, but she apologized to the empty air, for Mimi had moved away and thrown the light switch. For the first time since she had moved to the Force mansion—or even before that—Mimi gave her a genuine smile. "Good." She said, then immediately moved into the first sparring position.

"But…"

"You acted by instinct instead of thinking about it. That's your main problem—instead of just trying to beat me, you try to strategize, and that will never work in a one on one fight. In a fight against a group, some strategy is necessary, but in a one on one fight instinct is the most important thing. I can't see you when we spar in the morning, but I can sense you, using my instincts."

"Use the Force, Luke." Schuyler muttered, and she was pleasantly surprised when Mimi laughed.

When Oliver joined them that afternoon, he was surprised to find the girls sharing sandwiches on the floor of the basement, casually chatting as they munched on their food. He peered carefully at them both to see if either had turned into a robot while he was gone, but had to conclude that they were acting of their own free will. He shot a nervous glance at Mimi, but she seemed to be in a good mood, so he risked a bruised face and said to them, "How'd it go?"

"Good!" Schuyler said, showing more enthusiasm than Oliver had seen from her in days. She ran up and gave him a hug, nipping him playfully on the neck before Mimi growled lightly in warning.

"You haven't earned it yet."

Schuyler sighed and squeezed Oliver tight before releasing him. "Fine, Kemosabe."

Mimi rolled her eyes and pointed Schuyler towards the rope swings.

On Sunday morning Schuyler rolled out of bed at four A.M as usual, feeling sad for some reason. As she dressed and made her way downstairs, she puzzled over the feeling, and by the time she'd joined Mimi in the basement she had it figured out. Tomorrow she would return to Duchesne. Like most sane teenagers, Schuyler did not like returning to school, but tomorrow held a special kind of dread because tomorrow she would throw herself to the proverbial pack of wolves that use to be her classmates. She had no idea what the next day would bring, but according to Oliver and Jack she could expect some unpleasant confrontations due to the ever turning rumor mill.

She rolled through the morning exercises with Mimi without comment. She had gotten to the point over the past few days where she could stop about half of Mimi's blows in the dark. It wasn't easy, but if she stayed perfectly still and used her ears and nose instead of wasting her time trying to see she found she could often sense where Mimi's blows were coming from.

Mimi flipped on the lights, and gave a predatory grin at Schuyler, which Schuyler returned half-heartedly. "Final exam time." Mimi said.

"What do you mean?" Schuyler asked, stunned out of her lachrymose by Mimi's announcement.

Mimi shrugged her shoulders, the bones crackling as she stretched. "Today we fight. If you can land a blow, then it means I've pounded something into that thick skull of yours. If not, well, you're even more of a screw-up than I originally thought you were."

Schuyler's eyes widened, and she her lip to stop the sudden swelling of tears. It wasn't like she and Mimi were suddenly bosom buddies, but she'd thought they'd forged a connection over the past two weeks, and now Mimi was back to cruelly insulting her.

"Fine." Schuyler ground out. "I can't wait to beat you."

"Not just me, Schuyler. You've had plenty of time to do that. You have to fight off both of us if you want to land a blow."

"Both of who?" Schuyler asked, but then she turned around and her stomach sank. Jack Force stood in the door way, looking positively sinful in black exercise pants and a tight blue Underarmor shirt. Oliver peered out from behind him, shooting Schuyler a helpless look. She looked back, his expression mirrored in her face. Mimi alone was impossible to beat. Mimi with Jack was bordering on suicidal.

She shot a look at Mimi that she hoped was spiteful and not hurt. She thought they'd agreed to not tell Jack until after her training was complete.

"Don't blame Mimi." Jack said, smiling at her.

"Yeah, blame them both." Oliver muttered under his breath, then looked away quickly as all three vampires turned to glare at him. Schuyler realized it was the first time the four of them were together since the incident at Lady Prinche's house.

"I came down here two days ago after you left and found her planning the next day's lesson." Jack explained, giving Schuyler an apologetic shrug. Schuyler looked at Mimi, thinking wonders would never cease as the other girl blushed and looked away. Mimi actually spent time planning out each day's lesson?

"I kind of figured it out then. Mimi thought it would be a good idea for you to fight both of us for your final test."

"No!" Schuyler broke out, her emotions getting the better of her. "I can't even beat Mimi, how am I supposed to beat both of you at once?" Jack shrugged, his gaze kind but offering no quarter, while Mimi laughed derisively.

"If you're too afraid, Half-Blood, you can just back down now." Schuyler clenched her teeth.

"I'm not afraid." She ground out.

"Fine." Mimi said dismissively. "Guard!" Schuyler instantly dropped into the guard position, fourteen days of reacting to Mimi's vocal commands kicking in. She held her position, knees slightly bent and arms in front of her, as Jack and Mimi began to circle her, their movements perfect mirrors of each other as they went around her on either side.

Schuyler remained patient, waiting for one or the other to make the first move, grinning when her efforts paid off and Jack whirled in to send a chop kick at her waist. She evaded him easily, thinking this might not be as impossible as she'd originally believed, only to fall right back into Mimi's arms. Mimi grabbed her in something eerily similar to a lover's embrace and hissed in her ear, "You made the first move, Halfling." before tossing Schuyler to the ground.

"No I didn't!" Schuyler said indignantly. She'd been patient for once, and Jack had attacked… and she'd lost in thirty seconds flat.

"You made the first move when you dropped into the guard position." Jack explained, and Schuyler cursed herself a fool for obeying Mimi's command. She stood still, waiting, and eventually Mimi came at her from the side. She dodged Mimi only to find herself facing off against Jack.

She struggled to keep the images of the battered Silver Blood out of her mind, concentrating instead on dodging his blows. She was surprised to discover that she was faster than him, and as long as she kept her wits about her she could keep out of his way. But Schuyler could dodge Jack all day and she would be no closer to accomplishing her goal, so she waited till he came after her again and ducked into the blow, throwing him over her hip using a move she'd learned four days ago.

Jack went down with a thud, and Schuyler spun just in time to keep Mimi from taking off her head with a vicious right hook. Schuyler ducked under the blow and made a chop at Mimi's chest, but just before her move would have landed she felt strong arms encircle her waist and flip her in the air. Jack had recovered faster than she thought he would.

Schuyler managed to keep from panicking and landed feet first on the ground a yard or so away from the twins. She took a deep breath then straightened her shoulders and doggedly ran back to the fight.

For over an hour, they went back and forth, all three tiring but none willing to give up. Schuyler was surprised and delighted to find that at least in these circumstances, she was a match for Jack in a fight. In a real battle she had no delusions about his ability to ground her into a pulp, but here she could stay ahead of his blows and even get in a few of her own.

Mimi was, in a word, relentless. She ruthlessly kept beating on Schuyler, throwing in verbal jabs to make her physical blows all the more painful. Back and forth they went, neither girl gaining the advantage but neither backing down. At some point Jack bowed out and went to stand with Oliver, watching the two girls spar.

Around noon, Mimi threw Schuyler to the ground and pinned her, holding her down for more than ten seconds. Schuyler struggled to rise, but found she was unable to do so. Finally Mimi released her and climbed slowly to her feet, looking down at Schuyler with contempt etched on every feature.

"I thought you had what it took to be a warrior, Half-Blood. Clearly I was wrong." Shaking her head in disgust, she turned away from Schuyler and began walking back towards the two boys. It was the moment Schuyler had been waiting for. With a yell, she threw herself on Mimi's back and drove her to the ground.

The girls rolled over, trying to gain the advantage, then broke apart and jumped to their feet. Mimi tried to kick Schuyler around the knees, but Schuyler swung into the blow and jammed her elbow into Mimi's gut. She fell back with a gasp, and Schuyler quickly dove in with a kick of her own. Mimi parried it, but just barely.

They danced around the basement, both of them throwing and blocking moves at rapid speed. Schuyler kept fighting defensively, letting Mimi think she had the advantage. She slowly backed up until Mimi stood less than a foot in front of a cement pillar, and then she struck.

Her first blow caught Mimi on the side of the head and caused her to stumble back as her head spun. Schuyler quickly followed up with a kick in the side, then a blow on her back that caused Mimi to stumble and sway as though drunk. Finally going in for the kill, Schuyler used the same move Mimi had tried to pull on her and swept Mimi's legs out from underneath her. She went down like a sack, and Schuyler instantly pinned her to the ground, holding Mimi's hips with her knees and grabbing Mimi's wrists in one hand while the other grabbed her vulnerable neck.

"Yield." Schuyler told her coldly, and Mimi nodded.

Schuyler let her up and walked away, only to have Mimi jump her from behind. She swung and sighed, not really wanting another fight, but to her complete and total surprise Mimi did not swing at her but instead gave Schuyler a rough three second hug.

"You did well." Mimi whispered in her ear, and Schuyler realized that all the taunts Mimi had been throwing at her all day were just a sham to get her angry. She didn't know why she was glad that Mimi Force didn't hate her, she just knew she was.

She pulled back and smiled at Mimi, then spun as she heard applause. Both boys clapped loudly, grinning at the girls.

"What?" Schuyler asked, slightly defensively. She and Mimi had both shed their outer shirts earlier, but both girls wore tank tops that allowed them freedom of movement and speed.

Oliver shrugged and looked away, blushing slightly, but Jack gave a smirk that was purely male and said, "That was hot." Mimi scowled and threw a shoe at him, which he easily dodged.

"Are you ready for your final challenge, Schuyler?" Jack asked, and Schuyler almost collapsed on the ground.

"I thought that was my final challenge!" she cried, looking from Jack to Mimi in confusion.

"Not quite." Mimi said, leading them all to the center of the room. Schuyler looked up at the metal pole and groaned. Not only would she have to try and climb that thing again, but she would have to make a fool of herself in front of two boys whose opinion mattered greatly to her.

Mimi pulled out the metal rings and said, "You must climb to the top and you—"

"I know, I know, I have to carry the rings." Schuyler cut her off, rolling her eyes. Mimi glared at her until Schuyler fell silent, then continued as if uninterrupted.

"The rings must come to the top with you. You don't have to carry them." Mimi stared hard at Schuyler, willing her to figure it out. Schuyler stared back, wishing she had Jack's ability to read Mimi's mind. She looked at the rings, and once again she was reminded of _Mulan_. But if she used two of the rings to climb, what was she supposed to do with the other two?

Her talk with Lawrence in the park came back to her. She remembered him telling about the Apocalyptic Angels, and the Greater, which were Mimi and Jack, and the Lesser which—but her thought cut off there, for suddenly she knew. Pairs. Mimi and Jack were a pair. Lawrence and Cordelia were a pair. At one point, Charles and Allegra had been a pair. And that was the secret to the rings.

She turned to Oliver. "Ollie, will you climb this pole with me?" Oliver looked at her blankly, not understanding, but small smiles from Jack and Mimi let Schuyler know she was on the right track. "Please, Ollie, I need your help." Schuyler pleaded, knowing he would not refuse her.

"Okay, I guess." He said, bewildered. Schuyler took the rings from Mimi and wrapped two around her wrists, instructing Oliver to do the same with the other two. She moved to stand on one side of the pole, moving Oliver to stand across from her.

Schuyler took the ring on her left hand and wrapped it around the one on Oliver's right, then did the same with her right and his left. Their wrists were now bound together. "Are you ready?" she asked, and Oliver nodded tersely.

Schuyler reached up as far as she could and locked her arms in place, and slowly the two of them began to climb. Inch by inch they progressed slowly upwards, working out a verbal pattern as they went. "Up one, two, three, and reach. Up one, two, three and reach." The reaches were the hardest part, for it required them to hold themselves in place while they let go of the pole with their arms and lunged upwards to gain another few precious feet.

The pole was twenty five feet high, and it took them the better part of an hour to finally reach the top. When they did, panting and out of breath, Schuyler leaned over the top of the pole and gave Oliver a small kiss on the lips. "Thank you." She whispered, hoping he understood that she meant not just for today but for the whole week. He nodded mutely, and the two of them slid slowly and carefully back down the pole.

"Did I pass?" Schuyler asked Mimi when her feet were once again firmly on the ground.

Mimi nodded and grinned, taking the rings from Schuyler and Oliver. She started to put them back in their box, but then an impish look came over her face and she turned to grin at Jack. He raised an eyebrow, and she gestured silently to the rings. Jack nodded, and her grin widened. She gave a pair to Jack, then carefully tied the others around her wrists.

Schuyler and Oliver watched as the Force twins walked to the pole and stood across from each other, their shoulders squared at exactly the same height, their green eyes watching each other seriously. At some unspoken signal they reached up and began the climb and Schuyler and Oliver watched with open mouths as they quickly and effortlessly reached the top of the pole in less than five minutes before sliding down gracefully.

"That was the most important lesson you can learn, Schuyler." Mimi told her as she began putting the rings away. "It's important to be able to hold your own in a fight, but if you can have someone to steady you, balance you out, and watch your back, then all the better. After all, there are some things-" she gestured to the pole "there are some things that it's simply impossible to do without a partner."

They celebrated in front of the large flat screen television in the Forces' family room, with popcorn and soda and several sugar-loaded snacks. They debated over the movie for almost half an hour, with Schuyler favoring a romance, Jack an older war movie, and Oliver a comedy.

When asked what she wanted, Mimi simply looked up, said "Something that doesn't contain any singing." and buried her face back in a pillow. Although Schuyler showed more signs of it, Mimi had to be at least as tired if not more than Schuyler.

Olive suggested _Titanic_, hoping to appease Schuyler, but Jack and Mimi both quickly shot that down. Schuyler stared at them, wondering if there was a story there, but let it go and continued flipping through the list of OnDemand movies.

"Let's see, we've got _The Grudge_.."

"No." Three voices said

"_Meet the __Fockers_…"

"Yes!" Oliver said, but instantly sat back down as Mimi growled at him.

"Umm.. there's not much else…" Schuyler said.

"I'll take anything." Jack said with a groan.

"Anything?" Schuyler asked, arching her eyebrows at him. "Okay then, how about _The Trench Coat Twins: A Fun House Mystery with Mary-Kate and __Ashl__—__"_ Schuyler shrieked and ducked as three pillows flew towards her head. Laughing, she came back up and looked again at the list.

"I know what we're going to watch."Schuyler said, grinning as she selected the next movie.

"Hey, you didn't even tell us what it was…" Jack complained, then tapered off as Brad Pitt's voice washed over them.

_"__So you want me to tell you the story of my life…"_

"No way." Jack said, laughing.

"Way." Schuyler said smugly. Oliver looked at the screen and grinned.

"You didn't." He said to Schuyler.

"I did." She replied smugly.

"What is it?" Mimi asked, raising her head and looking at the screen as Brad Pitt continued.

"_I'm flesh and blood, you see. __But not human.__ I haven't been human for two hundred years."_

Mimi groaned, but even she laughed as the shot pulled out over a rainy San Francisco street and the words _Interview with the Vampire_ appeared on the screen. Schuyler sighed happily and leaned back against Oliver, her head resting on his shoulder. She carefully arranged herself so his view of Mimi and Jack, who were cuddled up in an armchair in a similar fashion, was blocked.

Although all of them found the movie funny for its gross inaccuracies, Schuyler reflected that as movies went it wasn't bad. It offered plenty of opportunities to gasp in mock horror and huddle up against Oliver, at any rate. Even though she had seen the movie a million times before—previous to her discover of her own vampiric heritage—she still found herself tearing up as Louis stood in a New Orleans graveyard and mourned for Claudia.

_"And my story ends there. But in fact it ended a long time ago, with Claudia's ashes in the theater. My love died with her. All of my passion died with her golden curls._"

Schuyler was amused when Mimi, who had never seen the movie before, gasped in surprise when Lestat popped up in Malloy's car at the end, shuddering against her brother, who merely grinned as Lestat sucked Malloy's blood. Jack flicked off the television as Guns and Roses' _Sympathy for the Devil_ played over the credits.

"We should go to bed. We've all got school tomorrow." They all groaned as Jack spoke, each dreading the prospect of returning to Duchesne after two weeks' vacation for their own private reasons.

Schuyler held Oliver's hand as the two of them made their way upstairs, thinking cynically that at least it wasn't as if her non-existent popularity would suffer. Oliver seemed to know her thoughts, and squeezed her hand in his own.

Mimi waited while Jack turned off all the lights and locked the front door, nervously wringing her fingers. _What if they hate me?_ She thought to herself.

She didn't realize she'd broadcasted the thought until Jack responded. _Some will_. He thought honestly. _But Bliss is on your side, and so are Schuyler and Oliver. And so am I. _

_I kind of took that for granted. _Mimi replied, taking his hand as they climbed the three flights of stairs to their rooms.

"As you should." Jack told her, breaking the silence and speaking aloud. "I saw you with Schuyler today. Whatever they say about you—about us—never forget that you are the most powerful warrior the Blue Bloods have ever known. And if some of our classmates need to be reminded of that fact, well, I certainly won't stop you."

"Thanks ever so."Mimi said sarcastically, but she tempered it by sending him a mental image of herself punching in Soos Kemble's face. He laughed, and kissed her cheek before turning towards his room. Mimi grabbed his arm and spun him around, and before she could think about it too much, pressed her lips to his for a two second, chaste kiss.

Jack's eyes widened in surprise, and he blushed slightly as he looked at her. "You know that has to wait 'til our twenty first birthday."

"I know."Mimi said with a sigh. "I just want to thank you, I guess."

"I should be the one thanking you, really." Jack said, leaning back against his door frame. "When I asked you to be civil to Schuyler I never imagined you'd spend so much time and energy teaching her to fight."

Mimi shrugged the compliment off, uncomfortable with his mentioning Schuyler so soon after she'd kissed him. "Goodnight, Jack." She told him, waving sleepily as she disappeared into her room.

Jack watched her, sighing to himself. He hadn't meant to ruin the moment by bringing up the proverbial elephant in the living room, but he also didn't know how to react. No, that wasn't quite true, he knew how he wanted to react—to kiss her back—but his sense of duty and propriety prevented him from doing anything.

"I hate my conscience." He muttered to the empty hallway, ducking into his own bedroom. He took off his shirt and belt and kicked off his shoes before falling back on his bed with a sigh. He knew he should change out of his jeans, but at the moment his mind demanded he simply lay where he was. He fully intended to get up in a few moments, but his overtired brain had other ideas, and before he knew what was happening he had slipped off into an uneasy sleep.

_"Join me, __Abbadon__, and I swear to you I will save her. Join me, and you'll never fear for her again. You and your twin were my strongest allies. I never mourned anyone so much as yourself and __Azrael__. Join me, and we will have it all again. The two of you are strong, stronger than Michael and certainly stronger than the half blood. Join me, and we will rule the world." __Lucifer__ held a hand out enticingly towards Jack, gesturing towards the figure bound at his feet. Jack ignored his outstretched hand and bent to look at the figure. She turned to look up at him, and Jack frowned. Her eyes were two different colors. The one on the right was blue, and the one on the left was green. The hood fell back from her face, and Jack stared in confusion. One side of her hair was dark and wavy, while the other was pale gold and straight. She looked him in the eyes, and her face shifted continually, as if she could not decide what to look like._

_ She started to stand, and as she did she changed again. Her hair turned red and curly, and her eyes became a deep green, almost black. Her features became longer, more defined. She held her hands out to Jack, palms cupped upward. He was afraid to look in her hands, afraid to see what they held. He steeled himself and stepped forward, peering into her palms. A beautiful jewel rested there, a perfectly cut emerald. It seemed to pulse with a life of its own, and Jack looked at it the gem expanded and filled his entire vision. _

_He was looking down into a sheltered alcove in a park. Dark trees surrounded him, waving their branches menacingly. A figure of a boy stood bef__ore him, his head hunched over.__ At his feet lay a crumpled body. Another body dangled limply from his arms__: a__s Jack watched, __t__he __boy __bent his head forward and began to drink from __its__ neck. It jerked, shuddered, and then fell still. Jack wished the boy would turn around __so he could see his features. Jack__ tried to move closer, and found __himself__ floating in front of the lifeless form on the ground. He gasped out loud when he saw who it was__: Schuyler_

_ Her beautiful face was twisted in horror and pain. Her eyes were open, but frozen and lifeless. On her neck, clearly defined for Jack to see, were two round holes__ which he recognized too well: they had been made by fangs__ The boy__ had clearly bitten her; however, there was no blood around the wound. All __of the blood had been taken. __Full consumption.__ Jack looked up from her, horrified, and looked up into the face of her killer. But the figure was concealed by the second body in his arms, another body that Jack knew only too well. As he watched, unable to move or cry out, the boy dropped the __still form __of Mimi Force to the ground, where she fell half-crumpled on top of Schuyler._

_ As Jack stared up into the face of his enemy, the boy raised his arms triumphantly in the air and began to laugh. "I've done it!" He __cried,__ his voice callous and harsh. "I've succeed, master. I have done what you could not. I have __destroyed__ Death!" _

_As Jack continued to watch, Kingsley Martin knelt down and surveyed his work. Then, casually flicking his hair out of his face in a gesture Jack knew too well, he looked up and directly into Jack's eyes. "It's a shame you didn't get here about five minutes earlier, Force. Your girls scream so prettily."_

Jack awoke with a jolt, and promptly fell out of his bed, thudding heavily on his carpet. Sweat was dripping down his face and he couldn't stop shaking. He took several deep breaths, trying to stop his heart from thudding. He gripped his pillow tightly in his hands, trying to remember all the details of his dream. Just before he'd woken, he had a single thought of clarity. He knew what he needed to do. His heart stopped racing, and he started to breathe normally. But his mind didn't stop.

He knew now what he needed to do.

Jumping to his feet, he untangled himself from his covers and headed determinedly towards his door, not even stopping to grab shoes. Right before he reached it the door opened of its own accord. Mimi stood on the other side, frowning sleepily at him. She wore only a pink camisole and a pair of small red boxers. "Are you alright?" she asked, her voice heavy with sleep. "I heard a noise. It sounded like you fell out of your—"

He didn't stop to answer her, barely glancing at her to assure himself she was alright before passing her and heading down the stairs. "Jack?" she followed him, puzzled and a little concerned. He ignored her and continued forcefully down the hallway. "Jack, wait!" Mimi yelled, getting really worried now. To her left Schuyler's door flew open, and Mimi raised her eyebrows as Schuyler and Oliver tumbled out of the room, both frantically tugging their shirts back into place.

"What's going on?" Schuyler demanded. Mimi opened her mouth to tell her, but before she could speak they all heard the garage door slam. Mimi tore down the stairs, using her vampire speed to reach the kitchen in record time. Schuyler kept pace easily, while Oliver huffed as fast as he could behind the two girls.

In the garage, they found Jack powering up his father's Lincoln. Mimi stared. Was he crazy? He didn't have shoes or even a shirt on. "Jack, wait!" she yelled again, stepping in front of the car and narrowly avoiding being hit as he pressed the gas then slammed on the brakes to keep from knocking her over.

"Jack, what are you doing?" Schuyler demanded softly, talking to him through the open window of the car. Oliver came up behind her and placed a hand on her arm, reassuring her with his presence.

"I have to do this." He said firmly, not explaining anything, just staring straight ahead.

_Get out of the way, Mimi._ He sent to his sister, leaving no room for argument. She moved, but he still could not pull away because Schuyler was leaning through the window, staring at him with apprehension in her blue eyes. Before he knew what was happening, Mimi had climbed in the front seat next to him, and Schuyler, followed by a reluctant Oliver, had scrambled in the back. Mimi threw them a worried look in the rearview mirror before turning to her brother.

"What. Are. You. Doing." She said, pronouncing each word slowly.

"Please don't ask me to explain, guys," He said, glancing backwards to include Schuyler and Oliver. "There's just something I have to do. There's no logical explanation for it, but I just need to do this. Stay with me or get out of the car, but I'm going now." He looked at them to see if any of them wanted out, but aside from Oliver making the 'crazy' signal with his fingers when he thought Jack's head was turned, none of them showed any sign of leaving. Jack sighed, then reluctantly pulled the car out of the garage with his three hitchhikers in tow.

They drove through downtown Manhattan, the recent rain sparkling off the wheels of the car, the lamplights shining eerily in the midnight light. Schuyler had the strange thought that they were not allowed to be out driving so late and Jack would lose his license if caught. It was such a mundane thought to be having in the middle of such strange circumstances, she almost giggled.

They continued in tense silence for about fifteen minutes, and gradually Schuyler realized they were approaching the neighborhood where Duchesne was located. She wasn't certain but she thought Mimi was trying to talk to Jack in their minds, but not having much success. At any rate, she kept jerking her head in an angry motion while Jack's jaw kept tightening.

Five minutes later Jack pulled the car over to the curb and hopped out without a backwards glance. Mimi, Schuyler, and Oliver followed apprehensively. When Mimi looked up at the building they were facing she gasped in shock. She knew where they were. Or, at least, she was very familiar with the penthouse on the top floor. Jack had led them to Bliss Llewellyn's apartment.

**Okay****, this is a personal record, over 10,000 words in less than twenty-four hours. I feel very successful right now. (Gives muse pat on the back.) Things have clearly gotten more interesting, and now we're swinging into the main plot of this story. I never intended for it to get this long, but there you go. I hope everyone's enjoyed the story so far, and that you continue to tag along for the ride.**

**As always, another update will be up by the end of the week. All the reviews are much ****appreciated;**** it's nice to know that people are enjoying this story. **


	11. The Rose of Lucifer

**Melissa de la Cruz owns everything, even my soul. **

As she, Oliver, and Mimi pounded up the richly carpeted staircase behind Jack, Schuyler heard apartment doors swing open in their wake and grouchy voices demand to know who was causing the racket. Schuyler tried to smile apologetically at the few people she encountered, but received only glares for her efforts. She winced when she heard one woman yell to her husband,

"John, call security and tell them a bunch of hoodlums have broken in." Schuyler wondered what exactly constituted a 'hoodlum', but figured she'd better warn the others as soon as she had a chance, lest they all spend the night in jail. Jack still refused to speak to them, ignoring their questions and simply rushing up to what Schuyler could only assume was the top floor penthouse of the apartment building. He went so far as to shove Mimi roughly aside when she grabbed his arm and tried to slow him, demanding to know what they were doing at Bliss's apartment.

Schuyler had not recognized the building as Bliss's home since she had only been there once before under radically different circumstances, but she figured Mimi probably knew what her friend's place looked like. She shot a sympathetic glance at Oliver, who huffed silently behind the three much stronger and faster Blue Bloods, not complaining when his leg cramped or when his breath came in short gasps.

At long last, they reached the eleventh and final story of the building, a long hallway painted in gilded blues and greens that led to a single white oak door. On the door was a ridiculously ornate knocker in the shape of an angel. Mimi was willing to bet anything that Bobbi Anne, Bliss's over-glitzy stepmother, had picked it out. Still without looking at his sister or friends, Jack grabbed the knocker and banged it harshly on the door, the loud cracks echoing through the deserted hallway.

Schuyler wondered nervously what Senator and Mrs. Llewellyn would think when they opened their door to find four teenagers, two in jeans and tee-shirts and two in pajamas, standing on their doorstep. As unlikely as it seemed, she hoped Jack had some idea what he was doing and didn't simply barge into the Llewellyns' apartment in pursuit of whatever had brought them here.

Just as Schuyler was sure she could here security guards pounding up the stairs, the door to the apartment opened a crack and a sleepy face peered out at them.

Oliver wondered randomly if the ability to roll out of bed and still look stunning was shared by all Blue Blood females or if it was simply unique to Schuyler, Mimi, and Bliss, because certainly all three looked gorgeous despite the fact that they'd been asleep less than half an hour ago. Bliss Llewellyn stood in the doorway wearing a short bathrobe over a light blue nightgown that fell to her knees. Her long red hair danced in wild curls around her head, but the effect was closer to that of a halo than a bramble bush.

Bliss stared at Jack for a moment as if she did not recognize him, then caught sight of Mimi standing behind him and frowned in puzzlement. She opened the door farther and motioned them in, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "What are you—"she started to ask, but Jack cut her off.

"Where is it, Bliss?" His voice was tense and his posture taunt as he stared at her, his eyes boring holes into her face. Unconsciously, she took a step backwards, bowled over by the intensity of his stare.

"Where's what?" she asked nervously.

"I know you have it." Jack said, explaining nothing. "Don't try to deny it. I need it, don't you understand?"

"Jack, what the hell are you talking about?" Mimi demanded, stepping between her brother and her friend. "Stop badgering her and explain yourself, for God's sake."

"We all saw you with it." Jack said, and Mimi rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in exasperation as Jack stepped around her to continue his tirade at Bliss. "We all saw you wearing it the night of the 400 Ball. You have it, I know you do." Realization dawned on Bliss's face.

"You mean the Rose of Lucifer?" She asked nervously. "I…I'm not sure where it is. I gave it back to my father after the Ball." Jack frowned at her, his face darkening, and started towards her, pushing Mimi out of her way. Mimi scowled at his back, sticking her tongue out at him. She was getting tired of being shoved.

"Find it." Jack hissed, his face inches from Bliss's. Schuyler started forward, her eyes wide with worry. What had come over Jack?

"Okay, I'll find it, just…come away from there. It's not in my room." Bliss said, babbling nervously and trying to push Jack away from the doorway behind her. Jack's eyes narrowed, and he easily sidestepped Bliss and headed for the door.

"No! Don't—" Bliss cried, reaching for Jack, but he threw the door open with a bang and stalked into her room. Bliss, Mimi, Schuyler and Oliver hurried after him, rushing in as they heard him gasp in shock.

Slipping in behind Jack, Schuyler stared at Bliss's princess bed with its puffy white comforter, hardly daring to believe her eyes. There, curled up under the sheets with his head on a pillow, sound asleep, was a boy with dark hair and a pale, narrow face. It was a face that was achingly familiar to Schuyler, for it belonged to someone she had once considered a friend. Dylan Ward lay sleeping on Bliss Llewellyn's bed.

"Dylan!" Schuyler gasped loudly, and he stirred, sitting up in bed and rubbing his eyes. Like Jack, he wore pants but no shirt, allowing them all to see the scars that ran across his thin chest. He peered at them through sleep-heavy eyes, trying to bring the crowd of people into focus.

"Bliss?" He said, and Schuyler heard an alien undercurrent of warmth and affection in his voice.

"I'm here." Bliss said, rushing over to the bed and sitting beside him, taking his hand in hers. "It's alright, you're not in danger. It's just Schuyler and Oliver and the Forces. Do you remember them?"

"Yeah." Dylan said, shaking his head and sitting up a little straighter. "Schuyler and Oliver I'd love to see, but the Doublemint Twins can take a hike."

Schuyler struggled not to laugh at the expressions on Mimi and Jack's faces when Dylan spoke, choosing instead to run forward and fling her arms around the boy on the bed. He yelped in pain and she started to apologize, but he simply hugged her tighter, burying his face in her shoulder. "I missed you, Sky."

Oliver came over and joined his friends, reaching out a hand to Dylan, who took it and used it to pull Oliver into a hug as well. Slightly embarrassed, Oliver pulled back after a few seconds and joined Schuyler on the bed. "Where've you been, man?" He asked Dylan.

"Around the world and back again." Dylan said, laughing hoarsely. Schuyler laughed too, but at the same time she noted the dark circles under Dylan's eyes, as well as the fading bruises that marred his too-thin body. What had happened to her friend?

"Where is it, Marchosias?" Jack's voice cut across the room like a gunshot, abruptly interrupting Dylan's reunion with his friends. Dylan frowned and stood, swaying slightly. He looked over a Jack, who stood with his arms crossed and an angry expression on his face. Mimi stood behind him, silent and grim, while Bliss cowered to the side, looking with worry and fear from Jack to Dylan and back.

"What are you looking for, Abaddon?" Dylan asked, his voice hard, his eyes narrowing. Schuyler realized with sudden insight that Marchosias must be Dylan's angel name. Both boys walked swiftly around the bed, so they stood facing each other, less than a foot apart. In stature, Dylan was perhaps an inch taller, although Jack had a broader build and did not suffer from weeks of malnutrition. Almost as quickly, Bliss slid over the bed and came to stand at Dylan's side, while Mimi moved to mirror her next to Jack.

Just as the scene promised to turn ugly, Oliver and Schuyler slipped in between the Blue Bloods, Oliver placing a calming hand on Dylan's shoulder while Schuyler bravely faced the twins. She'd beaten them once today, and while she would not bet on her chances of accomplishing that feat a second time, she was willing to try if that was what it took to protect Bliss and Dylan and Oliver.

"Tell me where Lucifer's Bane is, Marchosias." Jack ordered, and Schuyler tried to catch Mimi's eye to see if she would help talk him down, but the other girl stared straight ahead, her mouth set in a thin, hard line.

To Schuyler's surprise, Dylan made a strangled sound then answered Jack's question, his voice stinted and clipped as if he were fighting every syllable. "It's in the top of Bliss's closet, in a small velvet box."

"Dylan!" Bliss cried, appalled. He turned away, glaring moodily at the wall, while Jack hurried over to Bliss's closet.

"Find it, Bliss, or I will." He said, and none of them doubted that he was deadly serious. Reluctantly, looking at Dylan as though he'd betrayed her, Bliss opened her closet and dug through several layers of fabric to finally pull out a small blue box.

"What are you going to do with it? Please don't hurt it, the necklace belonged to my mother." Bliss said nervously, but Jack ignored her and pulled the box out of her hands. As soon as he opened it, Schuyler yelped in pain, her cry echoed by the other Blue Blood. It felt as if an icy knife had torn through their hearts.

"I'm going to destroy it." Jack said, his voice weirdly calm after his former erratic behavior. Schuyler got the impression he was not talking to Bliss, an impression that was confirmed when he spoke again. "I'm going to demolish it, and there's nothing you can do about it, Kingsley."

"Kingsley?" Mimi cried, her voice frightened and confused. "What are you talking about Jack?"

Jack ignored her and held the jewel aloft in one shaking hand. Schuyler had a very bad feeling about what was about to happen, and she darted forward to try and grab the jewel from him. Before she could do so, Jack waved his other hand in a twisting maneuver and shouted out in a loud voice.

"_Abdanno_!" There was a clang like the tolling of a deep bell, and suddenly the room shook violently, throwing them all to the floor. The quaking did not stop, and for several minutes the six teens were tossed like ragdolls across the floor of Bliss's bedroom. When it finally stopped, they lay panting, fallen and draped across various pieces of furniture.

Mimi pulled herself slowly to her feet, already knowing what she would find as she surveyed the room. Every piece of furniture, from the bookcase to the bed to the desk and chair, lay smashed and broken into several pieces, the dust and feathers floating heavily through the air like snow. All the books in the bookcase, all the makeup on the dresser, all of Bliss's clothing, lay in piles of disarray around the room. The picture frames neatly placed on the wall lay smashed on the floor, the broken glass shimmering in the moonlight. The shelves in the closet had collapsed, dumping their contents of shoes, clothes, jewelry, and other knickknacks to the floor. The large picture window had exploded inwards, showering them all with glass and plaster. Looking directly up, Mimi examined the long crack running through the ceiling with a grim expression on her face.

_Lei e sciocco!_ She thought savagely to her twin. _You are a fool!_

He did not respond, and Mimi picked her way through the rubbish to where he lay crumpled on the ground, his left hand clenched into a bloody fist. Kneeling next to him, she carefully prized his fist open, half relieved and half disturbed to see the jewel lying whole and unharmed in his palm. Jack groaned and rolled over, staring up at her in confusion and pain. "It didn't work." He whispered, and Mimi was frightened to see tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.

She pulled him into a sitting position and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly as he leaned against her, his whole body shaking. He had several cuts on his bare back from the glass, and Mimi tried to brush the shards off as carefully as possible. Dressed only in a camisole and shorts, she had not fared much better, but Jack was her primary—make that her only—concern.

"What the Hell happened?" Oliver demanded, sitting up and groaning as he felt a large lump on the side of his head. Next to him, Bliss sat up and began to whimper as she surveyed her room.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god…" she babbled, and Dylan limped over from where he had fallen, hugging her tightly and protectively. He stroked her hair, running his fingers through her curls and dusting off the wood chips and pieces of glass.

"It's alright, you're okay. It's going to be fine, Bliss. Just take a few deep breaths." He spoke to her in a low, calming voice, trying to soothe her as she looked around at the wreckage of everything she owned. Schuyler wormed her way out from under the skeleton of Bliss's mattress and came over to put her hand on Bliss's back, squeezing her shoulder in silent support. Oliver came up and hugged her gently from behind, exchanging worried glances with Dylan over the girls' heads.

After several moments all of the teens broke apart and came together in a rough circle, surveying each other's wounds and looking grimly as the blood—blue in everyone but Oliver's case—that dripped from noses and various cuts, courtesy of the broken picture frames and the large picture window which now sported a gaping hole.

"What did you do, Jack?" Schuyler asked, frowning as she saw the gem was still in his hand, although the chain appeared to have been obliterated.

"He used a Word of Power." Mimi said, and Schuyler briefly remembered her grandfather speaking about those words and warning her of the danger of using them lightly. "He ordered Lucifer's Bane to destroy itself."

"Clearly, something went wrong." Oliver said, his voice heavy with sarcasm. "The Words of Power only work on a very specific basis, or not at all. It shouldn't have the power to destroy a room—probably the whole apartment—like that."

"You're forgetting your myths, Oliver." Dylan spoke harshly, his anger directed not at Oliver but at Jack, who simply looked back dully as Dylan glared at him. "There are twenty-four Words of Power, one for each of Lucifer's twelve Lieutenants, and one for each Page of each lieutenant. When one of the Lieutenants speaks his or her own Word of Power—the one from which their name is derived—the effect is amplified to the highest degree."

"Jack said 'destroy.' He's Abaddon, the Angel of Destruction. Of course the Word of Power wrought this effect, because _he used his own word_." Schuyler said, the realization hitting her, accompanied with the frightening knowledge that Jack had the power to cause that much destruction.

"But why didn't it work on the gem?" Bliss cried, her teeth chattering as she fought not to break down in hysterics.

"That gem was made by Lucifer himself." Mimi said quietly. "It's above the effects of a Word of Power." Her expression turned sly, and she turned her gaze to Dylan, who still glared hard at Jack. "I noticed you still respond to your Word of Power, page." She said to him.

"What are you talking about?" Schuyler demanded, looking from the viciously triumphant expression on Mimi's face to the angry and slightly embarrassed one on Dylan's.

"It's my name." Dylan said bitterly. "Jack spoke my name, Marchosias. It's another Word of Power. Whenever an angel of greater stature speaks my name, I must answer their question honestly. I don't have a choice. I can dance around giving an answer at all, but when someone questions me directly like Jack did about the necklace I have no choice but to answer with the truth."

"I thought you betrayed me." Bliss said quietly, and Dylan gave her a sad smile. He helped her lean on Schuyler, then started towards Jack with a hard expression on his face.

Mimi grabbed him roughly by the shoulders and stopped him, looking tensely into his eyes. "We've got to go, now." Dylan frowned at her and attempted to shove her out of the way, but she held her stance and looked him in the eye, her gaze boring into him. "You seem to know the myths about the Words of Power, Dylan, and if that's the case then you should know why we need to leave here, _now_."

"What's she talking about?" Oliver asked nervously. Schuyler danced from one foot to the other, jittery and apprehensive. She'd caught the expression on Mimi's face as she spoke, and it was no longer one of annoyance or triumph. Schuyler had never seen Mimi appear as she did now, her eyes wide and her face pale. Mimi was afraid, and to Schuyler that was reason enough to be afraid as well.

Mimi opened her mouth to answer, but a moment later that became unnecessary as a terrible howl sounded from down the hallway. They all heard the sound of several feet pounding rapidly up the flights of stairs, accompanied by more of those terrible cries as well as the screams of the humans in the lower apartments.

"They're here." Jack whispered, and they all knew he meant Silver Bloods.

**Sorry this is a little late, everyone. Hectic weekend and all. As a lovely present, the second half of this chapter will be up within an hour. Aren't I special?**


	12. They're Here

Melissa de la Cruz owns Blue Bloods…and fifty cats.

"We've got to get out of here!" Mimi cried, and this time Schuyler heard a definite note of panic in her voice.

"Can't we fight them?" Schuyler asked, even as she helped Bliss to climb over the rubbish towards the door.

"That's not one or two lone Silver Bloods on a city corner," Mimi said, following Schuyler through the mess and pulling Jack with her. "That's a whole pack of Silver Bloods, probably ten to twelve of them. They're called by the Word of Power."

"We can't let them get the Rose of Lucifer," Dylan said, quickly flipping off the lights in the apartment. "He has always wanted it back since it fell from his crown. It's supposed to have mystical properties, god only knows what he would do with it."

"What do we do?" Bliss asked, hurrying over and grabbing Dylan's hand as they picked their way through the wreckage of the apartment.

"We get out of here, for starters. We've got to get out of the city after that. Once they've locked onto the jewel, they'll keep hunting until they get it. We need to get away from such a large concentration of innocent victims." Both Schuyler and Mimi were gratified to here Jack sounding much saner and more focused as he spoke. He moved to the front door of the apartment and peered out into the darkened hallway, motioning them all forward. "I think it's clear for—"

The Silver Blood that had been clinging to the top of the door frame dropped suddenly, snarling as it lunged for Jack's face. Instead, he twisted and kicked out hard, catching it in the chest and sending it flying down the hallway. Three more appeared on the stair behind it, and Jack hurriedly slammed the door.

"Fire escape?" He asked quickly, and they all looked to Bliss.

"It's through here, in my parents' room."

"No one else is home?" Oliver asked, dimly remembering Bliss speaking of a younger sister.

"No. Bobbi-Anne and my father are visiting family in Texas, and Jordan is spending the weekend at a friend's house." They followed her through the twisting hallways of her apartment, examining the damage that the Word of Power had wrought. Schuyler tried not to be overawed by the sheer destruction that Jack had caused, but it was difficult to do so. The entire apartment of over one hundred rooms was destroyed, its contents barfed out into the hallway like the contents of the stomach of some great beast. Oliver whistled softly as he hurried along next to her, and Schuyler took his hand. If they were attacked, protecting him would be her first priority.

Mimi and Jack walked silently and swiftly next to each other, seemingly lost in thought but in reality holding a rapid—and silent—conversation.

_If it comes to a fight, do you think Schuyler can hold her own?_ Jack asked, helping Mimi scramble over an overturned sofa. She gave him an incredulous look as she turned to help him.

_If it comes to a fight, do you really think any of us can hold our own against twelve Silver Bloods?_

_That's only two to one odds, and that's assuming it's a full pack of twelve._

_It is not two- to-one odds; it's more like four-to-one odds. Do you really think Bliss and Oliver will be any use in a fight? And Marchosias—Dylan, whatever his name is— looks weaker than I've ever seen him. Schuyler will do alright, assuming she even gets the chance to defend herself before getting ambushed._

_If it does come to a fight, I think the best thing to do is position ourselves in one of the bedrooms. You and I can take them on one by one as they come through the door. _

Mimi sent him the mental equivalent of a snort, and hurried forward to help Bliss force open the door to her parents' bedroom. It was blocked by the junk that had accumulated on the other side, and it eventually took all of them pushing at once to open it. They tumbled inside and Dylan hurriedly slammed the door as they heard the front door smashed open and the sound of heavy footsteps dispersing through the apartment.

"We don't have much time," he said softly.

"The fire escape is through the window on the other side of their bed," said Bliss, and the six of them started for the other side of the room, using the dim light of the window. Considering it was only a distance of eighty or ninety feet, the journey was surprisingly hazardous as they worked to negotiate their way through the wreckage, which was nearly as bad as the mess in Bliss's room.

Every few seconds, a voice would cry out, "Ouch! That was my foot!" or

"Watch out, there are splinters all over the floor." And

"Shit, I think I broke a nail." Oliver looked up at the last and glanced at Schuyler, who was maneuvering her way next to him.

"Three guesses who said that," he muttered, and Schuyler laughed softly under her breath. Ancient warrior or not, there were some things about Mimi Force that remained undeniably shallow and frivolous.

She stopped laughing abruptly as she heard something heavy shudder against the bedroom door. "I think they're here," she whispered, knowing all the Blue Bloods would hear her easily.

"Damn, the window's busted," Dylan hissed, frowning as he examined a large metal bedpost that had somehow lodged itself through the thick frame of the window, shattering the glass and jamming the window shut. They all managed to scramble over to Dylan, and Jack tried to help him move the window, to no avail.

"I don't think—" he started, then broke off as the door shuddered again and its frame crackled dangerously. Jack frowned at the window, and then inexplicably looked at Oliver. The two boys' eyes met and held, and after a second Oliver nodded once.

"We'll have to climb around it," Jack announced, trying to keep his voice steady. He didn't want anyone to panic, even though their situation looked bad.

"I'll go first," Bliss offered, picking a large book up off the floor and tucking it under her arm.

"What's that?" Mimi asked, as she and Jack helped Bliss wiggle under the post and out through the hole in the window.

"It's a book that my dad always kept with the jewel. It might give us a better idea what we're facing." Bliss's voice suddenly became fainter as she slipped through the hole and onto the fire escape.

"Damn, it's cold out here," they heard her mutter.

"Okay, Schuyler, you're next," Jack said, and Schuyler nodded and slid through the hole with more ease than Bliss. When she was halfway out, they all heard the door crack menacingly, and Schuyler hurried through onto the narrow metal platform. She moved to help Bliss lower the stairs, the metal creaking noisily, then stepped down a few steps to make more room for the others.

"Mimi, go," Jack said, turning quickly aside. He wasn't quite fast enough, and she caught something in his gaze.

"You go," she said, planting her feet and pointing to the window.

"Mimi, please. I'll come right after you, I promise," Jack whispered, looking her dead in the eye. Her eyes narrowed, and she frowned at him.

"You'll come right after me?" she asked, moving hesitantly to the window.

"I promise," Jack said, deliberately not meeting her eyes and carefully keeping his mind blank. She nodded once, and then scrambled through the hole, having more difficulty fitting through than Bliss or Schuyler.

Dylan gestured for Jack to go, but he shook his head. Oliver came up and gave Dylan a boost to start him through the window. As he started through, Jack stopped him and bent down so his mouth was right next to Dylan's ear as his hand slipped something into the pocket of Dylan's jeans. "Get the girls down there and go around to the front of the building. My father's Lincoln is parked out front. Get out of the city and don't stop until you're miles away from here. We'll try and catch up with you later."

Dylan looked up, his eyes wide, and opened his mouth to protest but closed it again and nodded once in acceptance. "Be careful, guys. I promise I'll keep them safe." Jack and Oliver exchanged grim smiles as they helped him slide through then turned back towards the door. Jack had known as soon as he'd seen the window that there was no way either he or Oliver was getting through. He winced as he heard Mimi shouting in anger as Dylan slipped through the window, and it took all of his willpower to keep walking away from the window.

For his part, Oliver knew this might be the most important—and maybe the last—duty he completed as Schuyler's Conduit. It was an unspoken but acknowledged fact that if necessary the Conduit would give his or her life for their Blue Blood partner. He had never shared that knowledge with Schuyler, for he knew she would make him promise to do no such thing. Having Jack by his side was a small comfort, for he knew that no amount of fighting from one vampire and one human would save them from twelve Silver Bloods.

"Ollie!" Oliver froze as he heard Schuyler call his name through the window, but he did not turn around, just followed Jack towards the door. He knew there was no way they could climb back through the window; the platform was too far beneath the ledge, so he did not worry about any of the girls coming after them. He just hoped Dylan could convince them to get off the fire escape and down to the relative safety of the Forces' car.

On the fire escape, Dylan tried hard not to cringe under the blistering glare of Mimi Force. Schuyler was not much help either, for she kept calling desperately to the boys through the open window. Bliss watched them anxiously, her hand clasped tightly in Dylan's as she looked with worry and pity at the other girls. "We need to go, now." Dylan said tersely, trying not to shiver as an icy breeze struck his bare chest, making him shiver. He started down the stairs with Bliss, and after a few moments Schuyler followed, biting her lip and shooting anxious glances at the window every few seconds as if she could see the Llewellyns' bedroom if she looked hard enough.

Mimi did not move. Dylan winced, looking up at her. If she refused to go with them, physically, there was no way for him to force her. He hesitated, dancing between taking the other girls to the car or waiting for Mimi. Ultimately, he could not leave with out her, for he had promised Jack that he would get them all out safely.

"Mimi…" She looked up, startled, when he spoke her name and he realized it may have been the first time he had ever done so. "Jack asked me to take you all to the car and drive away from here. Please, trust him and do as he asked. I know I can't make you do anything, but for his sake…"

"For his sake?" Mimi hissed, her eyes shining brightly. "Why should I do anything 'for his sake?' He lied to me, the bastard, and now you expect me to go along with his self-sacrificing plan just so he can have a hero-complex? Why…why…oh _god_." Schuyler barely moved quick enough to grab Mimi as she collapsed in tears, holding her in an awkward embrace and sliding to sit on the top step of the fire escape.

"Mimi," Schuyler said, talking softly to her while Bliss and Dylan stood to the side, uncertain of what to do. "Mimi, you have to trust Jack. You've trusted him for over a thousand years, and it's gotten both of you this far. Listen, I don't like this any better than you do. I don't want to leave Oliver—or Jack—here to face whatever's in there. But we have no choice. We have to do what they asked." As she spoke to Mimi, Schuyler found that she herself was fighting tears, fearful as she was for Oliver's safety. He wasn't a warrior like Jack, wasn't even a Blue Blood, he was just a human boy who loved her more than anything and was willing to sacrifice his life for her.

To her gratification, Mimi stood slowly and allowed Schuyler to lead her down the stairs, clinging to her wrist the entire way. The three girls and Dylan made the entire eleven-story trip in hurried silence, reaching the bottom story in less than a minute and jumping quickly to the ground, not wasting time with lowering the final level. They hurried around front to the car, scrambling in and slamming the doors, but when Dylan reached for the keys to start the car, Mimi clamped her hand on his wrist.

"Not yet," she said, her tone booking no argument. Dylan glanced at Schuyler and Bliss, but Bliss simply shrugged and Schuyler nodded her head in agreement with Mimi.

"We should go…" Dylan ventured hesitantly.

"No." Schuyler and Mimi spoke in the same voice. Bliss glanced from the stubborn expressions on the girls' faces to the increasingly impatient one her boyfriend wore.

"Ten minutes," she suggested softly, and they all looked at her. "Why don't we give them ten minutes, and if they're not out then we go."

"Fine," Dylan said shortly, and Schuyler nodded her consent. Mimi said nothing but studies her cuticles with intense interest, which Bliss knew could either mean she agreed with the idea but was too proud to say so or a silent threat that when ten minutes had passed she planned to stay, whether the boys had arrived or not. Figuring she had to be satisfied with what she had, Bliss leaned back against the passenger's seat to wait.

Inside the Llewellyns' bedroom, Jack gestured silently for Oliver to follow him back into Bobbi Anne's walk-in closet. They did so quickly, knowing they had seconds before the Silver Bloods came through the door. The boys slipped back through the layers of clothing, their minds barely acknowledging the ridiculous dresses, shirts, coats, pants, skirts, and rows and rows of shoes that hung half off the racks and shelves around them, forming large mounds of fabric in the darkness.

"I have a plan," Jack whispered, and Oliver rolled his eyes before he realized that Jack could not see his face.

"What is it?" he asked, trying to keep the cynicism out of his voice. Honestly, the guy though he was Batman or something.

"We have to draw them into the closet—all of them. Then, we distract them, duck out, close the door, and run like mad."

"Yeah, that'll work," Oliver said, "It'll work in a universe where Mimi's short, fat, and ugly and I join the varsity lacrosse team."

"Do you have a better plan?" Jack demanded, but before Oliver could answer they heard footsteps pounding across the bedroom floor.

"Spread out and search," a gravely voice said, and Oliver shivered at the sound.

"I smell Death…where are you, darling?" a voice called, and Jack said something under his breath that made Oliver raise an eyebrow.

"You know him?" he asked Jack quietly.

"He was Azrael's page long ago, before he tried to betray her to the leader of the Silver Bloods."

"Ah," Oliver said, dancing nervously from one foot to the other until Jack slammed his heel pointedly on his toes. At that moment, the closet door creaked open and the boys dived behind a pile of Odette Christiane evening gowns and Louis Vuitton purses. Oliver leaned over until his face was practically touching Jack's trying to ignore the sensation of Jack's fine blonde hair brushing against his cheek. "So are we going to try this plan of yours?" Oliver breathed in his ear.

Jack nodded once, then picked up a handbag and hefted it lightly towards the back of the closet. "They're in here!" The Silver Blood at the door yelled, and the others came rushing to the closet, crowding the doorway. Slowly, they walked through the closet, spreading out in a line and checking beneath every pile of clothing.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" one sang mockingly, and they all laughed, their scarlet eyes gleaming in the darkness. Jack grabbed Oliver's hand and they crawled from behind their pile to the one nearer to the door. They waited until the Silver Blood nearest them had his back turned, then pulled the same maneuver. There was now only ten feet and a line of Silver Bloods separating them from the bedroom, but Jack did not trust that deceptively small distance to save them.

Instead, he picked up what felt like a stiletto heel and threw it to his left, smiling grimly when it made a loud 'clang' against a metal shelf. The Silver Bloods stiffened, and a few let out low growls, before the entire group turned and headed off in the direction of the sound. Oliver and Jack waited tensely until the last hulking figure had passed within a few feet of them, and then at Jack's nod they took off for the door, knocking aside clothing, shoes, and jewelry as they did so.

"There they go!" the leader yelled, and Silver Bloods howled as they took off after the boys. Jack and Oliver burst into the bedroom, fighting their way through the carnage on the floor, ignoring scraped knees and banged elbows as they fought madly to reach the door. Just as Jack threw the door open and turned to Oliver, a Silver Blood locked his arms around Oliver's waist, dragging the boy to the ground.

Jack raised his knee and stomped as hard as he could, smashing his bare heel into the back of the Silver Blood's neck. There was a terrible crunching sound, and then the Silver Blood slumped forward, dead. Jack had broken his neck. Jack seized Oliver and dragged him up, hurling them both out the door and down the hallway. As they reached the front door of the apartment they skidded to a halt, freezing in place. Three Silver Bloods stood with their backs to the boys, guarding the door of the apartment. 'Bliss's room,' Jack mouthed to Oliver, and the two tiptoed as silently as possible past the guards and down the opposite hallway.

They slid into the room where all the madness had originated, slamming and bolting the door behind them. "Now what?" Oliver asked, managing to inject a fair amount of sarcasm into his comment while speaking just above a whisper.

"Now I use you as bait to distract the Silver Bloods while I escape," Jack replied, his tone just as sardonic, although Oliver looked frightened for a moment as he spoke. They both looked up sharply as the sound of yelling came from outside the bedroom. Clearly, the leader was demanding their location from the guards. Jack looked around, trying not to let panic swamp him. He would have given everything he had ever owned to have Mimi with him at that moment instead of Oliver.

Shoving his blonde hair out of his eyes, he surveyed the room, looking for anything that could be used as a possible weapon. Examining the large wood splinters on the floor, he thought it a shame that real vampires did not dust the way they did on _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_. Jack looked at the window with its gaping hole and winced. As soon as they'd trapped themselves in here he'd known what he would have to do, but he'd been putting off the inevitable, hoping another solution would occur to him.

"So be it," he muttered, and Oliver looked at him curiously.

"What?"

"Come here," Jack ordered, making his way over to the window. Oliver followed, shooting an apprehensive look at the door as it rattled on its hinges. The Silver Bloods had found them. Oliver moved next to Jack, looking out the window at the New York skyline. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Jack wrapped his arms around Oliver's waste, hugging him tightly.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he yelped, trying unsuccessfully to pull away from Jack. "Look, man, isn't it enough that all the girls think you're the greatest thing since Brad Pitt? Why do you have to hit on m—"

"Oh please, don't flatter yourself," Jack said, his voice contemptuous. "I'm trying to save your life, you moron, but I'm seriously considering other possibilities given the lack of appreciation."

"I'm appreciative, I'm appreciative! This is me, making an appreciative face! I'm appreciation man! I'm—"

"Shut up, you're not helping your case," Jack muttered, prying up the window and then raising an arm as shards of broken glass rained down on his face. He pulled himself up on the ledge, balancing carefully and wincing as he stared down the eighty feet or so to the sidewalk. He pulled Oliver up next to him, and both boys almost tumbled out the window as Oliver yelled and wind milled his arms.

"Hold still!" Jack demanded, as Bliss's door shuddered in its frame. The window was tall enough that he could stand up straight with only the top of his hair brushing the raised frame. Taking a deep breath and looking determinedly away from the drop, he stooped and picked Oliver up in his arms, wedding style.

"Oh…my….God," Oliver muttered, instantly wrapping his arms around Jack's neck. "You will not."

"Yes I will. We've got no choice."

"Suicide by Silver Blood versus suicide by jumping? I'd say that—"

"We're not going to die, you nitwit, just hold on and try not to jiggle around too much."

Oliver muttered something under his breath, and Jack impatiently said, "I speak Italian too, and no I'm not gay!" Oliver rolled his eyes, but resettled himself in Jack's arms and held on tightly.

"Ready?" Jack asked.

"Ready," Oliver muttered, sounding anything but. Jack bent his legs and prepared to spring, but Oliver said, "Wait!"

"What?" Jack said, his voice impatient.

"Don't tell Schuyler?" Oliver pleaded.

Jack grinned at him and leaned out over the New York Street. "Not a word." Both boys took deep breaths, and then Jack leapt off the ledge, Oliver clinging tightly to his shoulders. 

**Ooohh, cliffie! Something I forgot to mention in the first half of this chapter: All the mythology about Marchosias is not mine, but John Milton's. Supposedly, if someone (not just a stronger Fallen Angel) asked Marchosias a question he had to answer them honestly. I thought that it was a cool idea, so I modified it and stuck it in. **

**Now, I have to pray you don't throw proverbial pitchforks/knives/clubs/blackjacks/herrings at me. You may have noticed that my updating has been a little erratic as of late. Unfortunately, being a senior in high school, I have to apply to colleges. This coupled with my schoolwork means I have little time to write. Before you freak out, I'm not abandoning this story or even putting it on hiatus. I'm just issuing a general warning that until sometime around Thanksgiving (mid-November, if there are any non-Americans out there) my updating will probably continue to be inconsistent. Keep checking on Mondays, but don't be surprised if my updates continue to be a little behind, at least for the next few weeks.**

**Sorry about that, please keep reading and reviewing! I love the Blue Bloods fandom! **


	13. Reunion

**Melissa de la Cruz owns everything. **

**(Hides from flying pitchforks and herrings) I'm sorry this chapter is so ****late,**** I've been swamped in schoolwork, college apps, and other things. I'm also sorry this is rather short, see the note at the bottom for a longer explanation. **

It hadn't been easy, but they were here at last. Jack tried to force his lips into a smile, but anxiety and weariness prevented him from doing so. He glanced over at the boy sitting next to him, trying to quell the resentment he felt towards him. Oliver had been peacefully sleeping for the past two and a half hours, ever since they'd left the roadside medical center just outside the city and turned north, following Jack's faint but constant connection to Mimi. After landing (relatively) safely on the sidewalk outside Bliss's apartment, they'd hurried around the side of the building only to find the car and its occupants gone. Jack had been about to take off after them when Oliver had collapsed on the sidewalk. A quick examination showed Jack that the other boy had probably sprained an ankle, most likely in the jolt of their landing.

Jack had been sorely tempted to leave Oliver and go after the girls, but he knew Schuyler would kill him. Instead, Jack had hailed a taxi, and thanking whatever powers had decided to install credit card machines in taxi cabs, ridden with the cabby to the outskirts of the city, where the cabby had left them at a shady but clean "medical center", what Mimi would probably call a doc-in-a-box. The three men inside had sniggered at the sight of two half-dressed boys coming into their office at two o'clock in the morning, making several off-color jokes about their reasons for being there, but at least they'd wrapped up Oliver's ankle and even called in a rental car for the boys.

The total fee had been more than the cost of the car itself, but Jack figured it was worth it if it kept them from having to pay for another cab with his credit card. He already knew they would be traced at least to the medical center, but hopefully he could keep them from being followed any further than the outskirts of the city. Shortly after they'd pulled out in the rickety old pick-up the rental people had brought the Codeine had kicked in and Oliver had passed out.

Jack had driven north, doing his best to catch up with the others while staying on the highways and other public roads. His bond with Mimi was not a GPS, and did not take into account towns and roads and hills and any other physical barriers that separated them. About two hours after leaving the city Jack had entered a town called New Paltz in Ulster County, and his bond with Mimi became much stronger. It had been only twenty or so minutes later that he'd found the Lamp Light Inn, a small hotel that looked far inferior to anywhere Jack had stayed in his life, although at that point he was too tired and hungry to care.

Now, Jack parked the truck in the graveled parking lot and turned off the ignition, wincing as the vehicle moaned and groaned. He wondered how much life the thing had left in it. Jack shook Oliver, causing the other boy to lurch up with a groan, muttering and swinging his arms wildly. Ignoring him, Jack climbed out of the car and instantly shivered as his feet came into contact with the light dusting of snow on the ground and an icy wind struck his bare chest. He was tempted to climb back into the relative warmth of the cab but instead hurried across the frozen ground to the faintly lit receptionist's office, barely noticing as Oliver hurried after him.

Jack slipped inside, noticing with a wince the sign that said 'No Shirt—No Shoes—No Service'. Hoping that Dylan and the others had already rented a room, Jack walked up to the bitter looking woman in her mid-forties who manned the counter. She glared at the two boys over the edge of her romance novel, her unnaturally red lips pursing in a frown as her heavily decorated eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Can't you read?" she asked Jack in a nasally voice, jerking her head towards the sign on the door.

"No—I mean, yes, I can read but I'm not looking to rent a room…"

"Whatever you're selling, boy, I don't want it—even if you are easy on the eyes." She smiled at him in a way that was clearly intended to be enticing, although Jack had to forcibly stop himself from taking several steps backwards.

"I'm not selling anything, ma'am." Jack said, figuring he would be polite even if she would not. "Some friends of mine arrived here not that long ago, and I think they rented a room. There was a girl with them who looks a lot like me—tall, blonde hair, green eyes—"

"Is she your girlfriend or somethin'?" the woman asked, leering at him unpleasantly.

"She's my sister." Jack said, barely keeping his patience. "There were two other girls with her, a redhead and a black haired girl, and a boy—"

"Look, whatever you kids are up to—"

"Please, we're not up to anything." Oliver said, speaking for the first time. He still felt woozy from the drugs and had thought to let Jack handle the situation, but clearly this was getting out of hand. "They're friends of ours, really. One of the girls is his sister, I promise. We're not looking to hurt them or cause trouble or anything. Can you please just tell us where they are?"

The woman continued to hesitate, and Jack was about to march out of the office and find them by feeling for Mimi, even if pinpointing her exact location this close would be difficult, when Oliver reached in his pants pocket and pulled out a ten. He pushed it across the counter towards the woman, keeping a hand firmly on one end as she reached out greedily to grab it. "The room number." He demanded calmly.

She scowled at them more fiercely than ever, before relenting and saying through clenched teeth, "I did see those girls you were talking about, a small dark-haired one, and a redhead who looked like Sigourney Weaver and a girl who looks like him—" she jerked her head towards Jack, frowning as she examined him again. "Just like him, in fact. What, are you twins or somethin'?"

"Or something." Jack said, barely paying attention to what she was saying.

"I didn't see no boy, but I put them girls in room 228."

"Thanks." Oliver said, releasing his end of the bill.

"I don't know what you're planning on doing, but that room only sleeps four—" she started to say, but the boys were already turning away.

"Let us worry about that." Oliver said firmly, before releasing his end of the bill and hurrying out into the night, Jack fast on his heels.

They shivered as they climbed the astro-turf covered stairs to the second floor, the wind whipping even faster past their heads through the tunnel created by the overhanging roof that covered the narrow out-door hallway between the railing and the rooms. "221, 222, 223…" Oliver muttered as he followed Jack down the hall, limping along as best he could on his injured foot.

Suddenly, Jack came to a halt, stopping so abruptly that Oliver almost walked into his back. "What're you doing?" Oliver started to ask, but Jack hissed at him and Oliver shut up. He had a very bad feeling that whatever had caused Jack to stop was not the hotel welcoming committee. Cautiously, he peered over Jack's shoulder and shuddered as he looked to the end of the balcony. Standing huddled in the darkest corner near the railing was a dark shape. Its eyes flashed briefly in the darkness, and then it began prowling towards them.

Oliver gulped, trying to control his shaking legs. The snow swirled around them, muffling any sounds in the dark night air, blocking out the noise of the figure's footsteps as it tread towards them in a predatory manner. Jack squared his shoulders and prepared himself to defend Oliver, but he knew it was probably useless, given his exhaustion. Without warning the figure sprang towards them and both boys jumped back in fear.

"Jack! Ollie! Oh my god, thank goodness you're alright!" Schuyler van Alen hurried forward to hug them both, enveloping each in the brief but enjoyable warmth of her heavy black parka. She stepped back to look at the, her blue eyes brimming with tears. "Mimi said she could feel you guys following us but I was so scared…Oliver, what did you do to your foot?" she demanded, examining him with a critical eye.

"Some boy threw me out a window." Oliver remarked dryly, hugging her again. They made their way to the end of the hall, Oliver leaning on Jack and Schuyler while Schuyler babbled excitedly to them all the way.

"I couldn't sleep because I was so worried, so I decided to step outside for a few minutes, and then what to I see but the two of you coming up the stairs! It's like fate or something."

"Yeah, fate that you almost gave us heart attacks." Oliver said, squeezing her shoulder to let her know he didn't mean anything by the comment. They came to the door, and Oliver leaned more heavily on Jack as Schuyler searched her pockets for the keys, frowning as she dug through the overly-large parka.

"Nice jacket." Jack said, his teeth chattering. "Where'd you get it?"

Completely missing the sarcasm behind his statement, Schuyler continued to forge through the pockets, frowning when she once again came up empty. "We stopped at a Wal-Mart about ten miles outside of town. We used your dad's emergency cash in the glove box to pay for clothes and food, I hope you don't mind."

"Open that door and I won't care if you used my college savings account." Jack muttered, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he tried to stay warm.

"Sky? What's all—oh, you found them!" Jack sighed with relief as Bliss Llewellyn opened the door and peered out sleepily, Dylan's dark head poking out behind her. Without trying to be rude, he pushed past her into the room, half-dragging and half-carrying a grateful Oliver with him.

The room he stepped into held only a double bed and a small wooden dresser, with a bathroom through a narrow hallway. Jack could see another door that presumably led to a second bedroom off to the left. The sheets on the bed were rumpled, and judging by Bliss and Dylan's appearances, recently slept in. He eased Oliver onto the bed, smiling as feeling gradually came back into his toes and fingers.

Oliver leaned back with a groan, stretching out his arms and staring at the ceiling. Schuyler immediately came over and perched next to him, watching him worriedly through large blue eyes. "Are you sure you're all right?" she asked.

"I'm fine, just a bit hungry. You wouldn't happen to have anything to eat, would you?"

"No, not much, we couldn't get anything perishable. All we have are some granola bars—"

"I'll take it." said Oliver instantly, sitting up and holding out his hands. While Bliss closed and locked the door to the hotel room, Dylan dug through a plastic Wal-Mart bag and came out with a box of honey and oat granola bars, which he tossed to Oliver.

"Hey, Jack, we grabbed something for you, too." Dylan said, peering into the bottom of the bag.

"That's okay, I don't want any granola—"Jack started, then stopped suddenly when Dylan handed him a piece of raw steak wrapped in wax paper. He sighed in relief and pulled off the paper, sinking his teeth into the steak and barely repressing a groan of relief as the cool and tepid blood slid down his throat. It was definitely not the best thing he'd ever eaten, but at that moment it tasted like heaven. He'd been sitting next to Oliver for over two hours, unable to help smelling the blood from several cuts Oliver had acquired from the glass window, entertaining fantasies about sinking his fangs into Oliver's neck. Only the memory of what Schuyler had tried to do to Mimi had stopped him. Speaking of which—

"Where's Mimi?" Jack asked. He could feel her very close by, and he was surprised she had not come out to greet him and Oliver. An uncomfortable silence fell over the group, and Dylan, Bliss, and Schuyler exchanged uneasy glances. Jack looked from one to the other, frowning in confusion. "She's not hurt, is she?" he said, puzzled and a little worried.

"No, she's physically fine." Schuyler said, and Jack wondered at her careful wording. "She's through there, in the other bedroom. I think she's asleep, but I can get her for you if you want."

"I can go—"Jack said, starting towards the other bedroom, but Bliss hurriedly stopped him.

"No, I don't think that's the best idea." she said, exchanging glances with Schuyler. Their eyes met, and some silent communication that Jack could not understand passed between the girls. Schuyler came and took his hand, leading him to sit in an armchair in the corner, away from the others, while Bliss slipped through the door into the other bedroom.

Schuyler smiled nervously at Jack, absentmindedly twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "So, how was your trip?" she asked brightly, wincing at the insincere tone of her voice. Jack opened his mouth to answer, but never got a chance as the bedroom door banged open and his sister stalked out.

She'd changed out of her pajamas, but even in cheap jeans and a sweater Mimi Force managed to look formidable. She stood tall, her blonde hair flaring around her like a cape, her green eyes blazing as she stalked up to her brother. Jack stood slowly, moving hesitantly to face her, smiling uncertainly in welcome. For several seconds they stared at each other, their faces disturbingly similar as they looked into each other's eyes. Then, without preamble, Mimi drew her hand back and slapped her twin across the face.

"How could you?" she hissed, drawing back and slapping him again.

"Mimi—"Jack started hesitantly, but she scowled ferociously at him and he shut up.

"Be quiet, I'm not done talking!" she demanded. "Asshole!' she continued, hitting him in the chest. Jack winced and stumbled a little, but Schuyler, who had been on the receiving end of many of Mimi's punches, realized Mimi had hit him with little to no force.

"You big-headed, conceited, lying, stupid, weasel!" she yelled, hitting him sharply with each word. "How could you do that to me? You lied to me, you jerk!" This time she didn't hit, but drew back her fist and punched him low and hard, catching him just across the beltline and knocking him hard enough to send him back against the wall of the hotel room.

Jack yelped in pain and leaned hard on a chair, his knuckles turning white with pain. Oliver and Dylan winced in sympathy, while Bliss nudged Schuyler and glanced pointedly at Mimi. "Um, Mimi? Maybe you should—" Schuyler started, moving to stand in between her cousins.

"Stay out of this."Mimi growled at her, glaring daggers at the smaller girl. Schuyler moved back, bowled over by the sheer fury in Mimi' gaze. Mimi stalked up to where her brother leaned against the wall, bent double in pain and clutching him stomach. She grabbed him by the hair and dragged him across the room, disappearing into the back bedroom and shutting the door with a bang.

"Hmm, interesting." Oliver remarked conversationally. The others all turned to stare at him, and he shrugged before sitting on the bed.

"What's interesting?" Bliss asked hesitantly.

Oliver smirked as he leaned back and closed his eyes. "Jack's face was about the same shade of green as his eyes."

**Alright, I admit it. This is not actually a complete chapter. More like three-fourths of a chapter. I would have liked to wait and post it in a few days when I will hopefully have the rest written, but given that my hectic schedule will not slack off until around Thanksgiving, I decided I'd better just post this now before ****another reality monster came and dragged me back into the real world.**

**Again, I apologize profusely for this being so late. Life has been OOC for the past few weeks. Give me another week and a half, and I promise I'll start updating more regularly. Hopefully, I'll have the second part of this chapter up in a day or two. **

**Thanks for your patience and your reviews!**


	14. Sibling Rivalry

**Melissa de la Cruz owns Blue Bloods**

Mimi kicked the door shut behind her and roughly shoved her brother onto the bed, turning to pace before him like an angry cat. For his part, Jack lay back and groaned, curling into himself as he fought off the nausea that accompanied the extreme sensation of pain/pleasure. When he could breathe without gagging he sat up slowly and looked at his sister with a mixture of fear and contrition on his face. For several seconds she said nothing but continued to look at him grimly, her mouth drawn in a tight line. When she finally did speak, her words were short and clipped in a clear attempt to keep herself from shouting.

"Do you remember what you swore to me?" she said, and Jack realized quickly that she was not talking about his broken promise of five or six hours ago. He opened his mouth to answer but never had the chance before she began speaking again, the words flying out of her mouth like bullets. "Clearly, you must have forgotten, because that is the only, _the only_, way you could possibly account for your actions at Bliss's. I know you wouldn't betray me like that, Jack, after we swore a promise to each other ten thousand years ago. You wouldn't break that promise, because you were so deadly serious when you made it. You were the one who came up with the idea in the first place, so clearly it meant a lot to you."

Jack bowed his head in shame, staring down at his worn jeans. He had remembered, but he'd been trying to save their lives…and everything had happened so fast…and he hadn't had time to think. He looked up at Mimi again, unable to say anything but trying to show her with his eyes how sorry he was. Her own expression was cold and unforgiving, and her eyes hardened even as he watched her.

"Since you didn't remember," Mimi said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "I guess I'll just have to show you." She stepped forward and placed her palms on either side of his head, and Jack could feel her shifting through his mind, quickly searching his memories for a particular incident. Normally he would have balked at the intrusion, but given how much he had hurt her he said nothing and let her do as she pleased.

Abruptly, she jerked slightly, and Jack knew she had found what she'd been looking for. She knelt down so they were at eyelevel, and pressed her forehead against his. "Show me," she ordered coldly, and Jack obediently played the memory she'd chosen. Darkness swirled around them, swallowing them whole, and when Jack opened his eyes the world had kaleidoscoped into a completely different setting from the small hotel room.

_He stood slowly, sweat and blood dripping down from his __face and tired limbs__ as he looked down at the corpse of the Silver Blood he had just killed. "Rest in Peace, Vettrinos." He muttered, spitting on the body in contempt. He was so exhausted from the fight that his limbs shook as he limped away from the body, and he stopped and leaned against a tall stone pillar for a moment before continui__ng slowly down the long corridor of the majestic temple__. It had a wide marble floor, decorated with intricate mosaics portraying tales of the early Roman gods__, while __stern-faced statues surrounded him on all sides, glaring down at him__ He barely noticed as he stumbled over an image of Phobias and Diana, his eyes locked blindly on the tall doorway twenty yards away. His footsteps echoed lightly across the silence of the vast corridor, reverberating up to the high coffered ceiling and across the empty room. A small light burned through in the doorway, the only light in the darkness of the night drenched __temple_

_As he drew closer, he noticed a shape sprawled in the doorway, and he frowned and moved a little faster. When he came within fifteen feet of the doorway, he froze in horror. No. It was impossible. It couldn't be her, even though the shape and the features—panther-like limbs, toned body, long blond hair—__were__ unmistakable. His refused to believe it even as his eyes confirmed what his heart already knew. _

_"Azrael!" he yelled, his __heart __pounding in his chest as he sprinted towards her, his injuries completely forgotten. "Azrael! No, no please…" he fell to his knees before her, shaking his head in disbelief even as tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. He reached down to touch her still form, her glassy green eyes staring up at nothing. Blood coated her neck and the front of her tunic, a serviceable garment nonetheless cut in the latest fashion, as was her way. _

_He ran his hand down her cheek, shuddering as he felt her skin grow cold under his touch. His fingertips brushed her lips, and he broke down and sobbed, huddling miserably over h__er__ body. Shaking, he gathered her in his arms and held her familiar form to his chest, in a sickening parody of a similar embrace. He __was smoothing__ his hands through her hair, touching the soft strands, when he felt it. She shifted slightly in his arms, her shoulders tensing and relaxing as she moaned softly in pain. "Azrael?" he said softly, hardly daring to believe._

_She lifted her head slowly and gazed at him through dazed eyes, her cracked lips slowly forming into a smile. "I thought I wa__s going to die __here,"__ she__ said softly, her breath tickling his skin. "I thought for sure this was the end, but now you're here. I'll survive because of you." _

_"Azrael…" he said slowly, at a loss for words. He didn't know how to tell her that no matter how much he loved her he did not think he would be able to save her__. The extent of her injuries was__ too __deep;__ he would not have time to run for one of the healers before her life left her completely. _

_"L__et me drink from you,"__s__he whispered, and he bent closer to hear before reflexively recoiling. __She saw his look of horror and incomprehension, and her face crumpled. "Please, I don't want to die.__ Let me drink from you and live.__" She saw his hesitation, and she leaned against him, whimpering pitifully. "Please, I promise I'll stop. Save my life, let me have your blood. If you love me you'll let me drink from you." _

_Those were the magic words, and he could do nothing but surrender as she shuddered and coughed up more blood. He tilted h__is head back, baring his throat even as he lifted her closer to his neck. Her fangs had just grazed his __skin__ when something lunged forward from the __shadows and yanked her out of his arms. He looked up in rage and fear, and gaped when he saw who stood before him. _

_She stood proud and strong, uninjured but for a thin cut running from the edge of her throat to her belly, cutting her shirt neatly in two so it she had to tuck the loose ends into her leather skirt. Green eyes blazed down at him out of her sharply angled faze, sparkling with the thrill of the hunt__. "__Don't you hate it when you don't finish a job properly?" she asked casually, flipping a strand of blond hair over her shoulder as she turned to glare at the figure that lay crumpled on the floor a few feet away. _

_"Azrael?" he whispered, looking in confusion from the girl in front of his to the pitiful form on the ground. _

_"Th__e one and only,__"__ s__he said brazenly, giving his a cocky grin, and he knew from her superior expression if nothing else that it was her. The thing behind them screeched with rage, and Azrael turned even as she reached out a hand to pull him blindly to his feet. She stalked over to the creature, her movements bold and fluid. _

_He came to join her as she stared down at the pitiful form that was looking less and less like her every moment as the creature lost the battle to hold onto its form. Its features slowly twisted as it glared at them in open hatred and loathing. It tried to lunge forward as its blood continued to run out—blood that he could see was silver, now that his panic had died down—on the marble floor, concealing the__ young__ face of Janis. _

_Azrael pushed it to the ground, grinding her sandaled foot into its face. "You __tried to kill my mate,"__s__he told it calmly, her eyes __cold and her face empty. The Silver Blood looked up, and it knew its time had come__ for it stared into the face of death. __"Enjoy Hell, bitch__"__ Azrael said, placing her foot over its windpipe and slowly crushing it to death. _

_She turned slowly to face him, __and then__ lunged forward to grab him as the exhaustion and worry and pain and relief caught up with him and he collapsed to the floor. She wrapped an arm around him and slowly lowered him __down;__ holding him tightly in the half light of the temple, with the body of the dead Silver Blood sprawled next to them. _

_He raised his head to look at her, and his eyes seemed to stare right through her, his expression open and lost. "Abbadon?" she said hesitantly, and he suddenly realized that she was not dying, that she was alright, that he hadn't lost her forever. He tightened his arms around her and kissed her desperately, tangling his fingers in her hair, holding her so close he could feel her heart fluttering against his chest like a caged bird. _

_She returned the kiss, running her hands down his back and letting him know by her actions if not her words that she was alright. They pulled back from the embrace and stared at each other, leaning their foreheads together as they panted for breath. "I was so scared__"__ h__e __muttered, still struggling to find his equilibrium. She did not offer verbal comfort, that was not her style, but she continued to hold him as he found balance with the world._

_After a moment she sat up and released him. "That can never happen again__" __s__he said firmly, and he could see now that she too was shaking with fear. "__That thing was _this_ close to drinking your blood, and you were about to let her." He opened his mouth to protest, but she shook her head slightly and continued. "I don't blame you, but there's a lesson to be learned here. They can take on our physical forms. We have to be certain that a Silver Blood can never fool us by taki__ng on our appearances. We have to hunt the__m, it's our duty--__"_

_"__And our pleasure," he__ muttered, and she smiled slightly as she conceded the point. _

_"If we're going to be hunting them, we have to know that they can't fool us like that ever again." She looked up at him, and he was startled to realize that her eyes were bright with unshed tears. "I will _not_ lose you to a Silver Blood,__" __s__he whispered fiercely, leaning forward to embrace him again. _

Mimi tumbled back onto the bedroom floor, falling on her butt before quickly scrambling to her feet. Her head buzzed dangerously, and she gripped the edge of the dresser to keep from falling again. Jack managed to not fall over, but he closed his eyes and pressed a hand to his forehead as the world spun in a dizzying whirl of colors. Looking up at Mimi, he saw a similarly dazed and shaky expression on her face. The farther back a memory lay, the farther one had to go into one's mind to access it. That memory was from Jack's first lifetime on earth, and the trip was giving him a head rush similar to the sensation of walking into a metal pole.

When she felt she could walk without falling, Mimi stumbled her way over to the bed and sat next to her brother, folding her hands in her lap with a sigh. Most of her anger had dissipated with the memory, but she needed to know that he knew why she was upset. He looked up at her, and before he even spoke Mimi knew that he understood. He took her hands in his own, absentmindedly tickling the palms of her hands while he thought about what he wanted to say.

"I am so sorry." He began quietly, knowing that was not nearly enough. "I know what we promised that night meant a lot to both of us. I know we said we'd never separate while fighting Silver Bloods, that we agreed it was too dangerous. I know we swore we'd always stay together but…god, Mimi, I didn't think we would all make it out of there and I thought that I could at least save you and Sky."

Mimi bit the inside of her lip hard enough to make it bleed, forcing herself to count slowly to ten, first in English then French then Italian, before responding to him. She knew he was trying to be nice, and that his apology was heartfelt, but she hated that he'd placed Schuyler in the same category as her. Then the first part of what he'd said processed itself in her mind, and she scowled at him.

"You thought we weren't going to make it out alive? Then why the hell didn't you let me stay with you? Didn't you think you'd have a better chance with me there? And besides, don't you know that I'd rather go down fighting with you than kill myself after feeling your death?"

Jack mumbled something in reply, and Mimi raised an eyebrow at him until he met her gaze and spoke clearly. "I said, that was what I was trying to avoid."

"What, my death?" Mimi asked skeptically.

Jack blew out a long breath before responding, tilting his head back and stretching his neck so the bones cracked. "Yeah. I was hoping you'd make it out even if I—"

"No!" Mimi said, jumping up to pace before him, and Jack knew in an instant that she was back to being angry. "No! You don't get to decide that for me! You don't get to make decisions about my life! If I want to die, then I'll damn well die when I want to, not when you want me to!"

"I'd prefer it if you didn't die at all," Jack said hesitantly, hoping she wouldn't hit him again.

"And I'd prefer it if you didn't die at all!" Mimi said, throwing up her hands in exasperation and flopping down beside him on the bed again. "See? We're even! I don't want you dead, you don't want me dead, and yet for some reason, you decide to go all Clark Kent on me and sacrifice yourself for the goodness of humanity! God, why do I put up with you?" She glared at him resentfully, and Jack had to bite his tongue to keep from smiling at the disgruntled expression on her face.

"Because I'm really cute?" he suggested cheekily.

"That must be it, 'cause it sure ain't your charming personality," Mimi muttered, but she relaxed her posture and yawned, stretching her arms before lying back on the bed. Jack stood and walked to the head of the bed, pulling back the covers and slipping between the cool sheets. He looked expectantly at Mimi, and she glared back for a moment before relenting and crawling up the bed to slip under the covers with him. Jack wrapped his arms around her, allowing her to pillow her head on his shoulder.

"I still hate you, you know," Mimi mumbled, and Jack said nothing but smiled to himself, knowing he had been at least temporarily forgiven.

**A/N: I decided to split this chapter into two shorter parts, because it seemed to fit better that way, even though each section was shorter than an average chapter. The second part should be up by now as well. **


	15. First Snow

**Melissa de la Cruz owns everything**

**Part 2/2**

"Do you think she killed him?" Schuyler asked nervously, glancing at the closed bedroom door. They hadn't heard any sounds since Mimi had shut the door with a bang, but Schuyler was having horrible visions of Mimi smuggling Jack with one of the hotel's polyester pillows. That would be a horrible way to die, she reflected, asphyxiated on cheap knock-off plastic.

"Nah. I'm sure he's fine," Oliver said, in a tone that clearly indicated he couldn't care less about Jack's well-being. Schuyler looked annoyed and a little worried, so Bliss came and sat beside her, patting the smaller girl's shoulder in a comforting manner.

"I know you don't have a sister, Schuyler, but I do and I've been at least as angry at her as Mimi is at Jack a hundred times over."

"Have you ever tried to kill her?" Schuyler asked, turning to look at Bliss.

"Loads of times. Once I locked Jordan in a closet for almost twelve hours. My parents weren't home—shocking, I know—and I didn't let her out until she swore she would never touch my stuffed animals again." Bliss winced as she noticed that Schuyler looked more discomforted than ever.

"Look, Sky, you really don't have to worry about him," Oliver said, his voice sincere instead of sarcastic. "I've got two brothers and a sister, and we fight all the time, especially over little things that really don't matter."

Schuyler nodded, having seen many such arguments between Oliver and his family, especially his older sister. "Sky, the thing about siblings is, although they annoy you and piss you off and steal your stuff and make you life a living hell, they're still your family. There are loads of times you could kill them, but you'd kill for them any time."

"Thanks, Ollie. And thanks, Bliss. I'm not really that worried about him. I'm just nervous about everything, and scared about the Silver Bloods, and worried about what tomorrow's going to bring – and tired beyond belief," she finished with a yawn, half closing her eyes and lying back on the bed.

Dylan came up next to her, his voice quiet and soothing. "Why don't you and Oliver sleep for now? We should really have at least two people keeping look out at all times. Bliss and I will take the first shift, and then in an hour we'll get Jack and her Royal Bitchiness. You guys get some shut-eye. Someone will get you in a few hours to take your turn."

"Thanks, Dylan," Schuyler said gratefully, crawling under the covers while pulling the already half-asleep Oliver along with her. She'd tried to get some sleep before in the back room with Mimi, but Mimi's constant pacing and glaring had kept her awake, and she'd finally given up and come outside, where she'd discovered the boys.

She lay her head on the pillow, wincing again at the cheap polyester, and shot an amused glance at Oliver, who already had his eyes closed and was snoring softly, his head half on the pillow and his long limbs tangled in the sheets. Bliss and Dylan shrugged on coats, shoes, and gloves over their pajamas before slipping out the door, making Schuyler shiver as a brief icy blast of winter wind wove its way into the hotel room.

Schuyler waited until she was sure they were alone in the hotel room, then quietly whispered, "Ollie?" He moaned and rolled away from her, and Schuyler sighed, feeling bad about waking him but knowing they probably wouldn't have another chance to talk in private.

"Oliver? Can you please wake up for just a minute?"

He mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like a curse at her and flopped back over to look at her, mildly glaring at her through bloodshot hazel eyes. "What, Sky, can't it wait 'til morning?"

"Why did you stay behind with Jack?" Schuyler demanded, ignoring his question. She'd been dying to confront him since he'd arrived at the hotel, but she hadn't had the chance to get him alone until now.

"I wouldn't have fit through the window, Sky, that's all. Now can I please go back to sleep?"

"I don't need you to sacrifice yourself for me, Oliver. I would rather have stayed with you than left you to die."

"You didn't leave me to die," Oliver said, sitting up and looking down at her with a sigh. "It was my choice."

"Well, it was a dumb one. Don't ever make a choice like that again," Schuyler ordered him petulantly before sitting up to look at him. Oliver looked back at her frankly, his expression serious, and he looked older than she had ever seen him.

"I made that choice when I chose to be your Conduit," he told her quietly.

Schuyler gasped, her eyes widening with shock. "What? What do you mean, Ollie?"

He looked uncomfortable, and he glanced away from her penetrating gaze before continuing. "It's the most important duty of any Conduit. It's a duty we're willing to perform, but we hope we never have to, because the only time a Conduit would do what I did today is if they think their Blue Blood counterpart is in danger of dying."

"That's a stupid duty." Schuyler said, her voice shaking as tears gathered in her eyes. "I don't want you to sacrifice yourself for me, Ollie, it would make me feel terrible."

"I knew you'd say that," Oliver said, grinning in spite of himself. "That's why I never told you."

"Well, now I know, and I want you to promise to me you won't do that ever again," Schuyler ordered him firmly, wiping a few errant tears from her eyes. Oliver sighed and looked down before raising his gaze to meet hers, his eyes serious.

"I can't do that, Sky. I'm sorry."

"Damn it, Oliver, yes you can! Swear to me you won't sacrifice yourself to save me."

He stayed silent, and Schuyler glared at him for several seconds before turning and angrily throwing herself down on her pillow, deliberately facing away from him to hide her tears. "Fine, go kill yourself, see if I care," she whispered, determinedly not looking at him. She miserably buried her face in her pillow, wishing she could take back her last comment.

Oliver felt as if the breath had been knocked out of his lungs, and he sat there for several seconds without moving, stunned beyond belief. He slowly lay back down and closed his eyes, wishing he could jump back twelve hours and prevent this entire miserable night.

Bliss leaned against the railing, peering out across the night sky and examining the multitude of stars. She hadn't seen this many stars in several months, ever since she'd move from Texas to New York City. Even if the pollution hadn't been bad enough to block out the stars, the city's never ending plethora of neon signs, spotlights, electronic advertisements, and nightclub and theater signs ensured that it was never fully dark in New York. The City That Never Sleeps, Bliss thought cynically to herself. More like the City That Uses Exorbitant Amounts of Fossil Fuel.

At that moment, Dylan came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning his chin on her shoulder. Bliss sighed in contentment, her dark mood evaporating in an instant. No matter what else, she had Dylan by her side. After spending months worrying about him and dreaming about him and imagining she saw him on every street corner, he was finally safely—relatively—back in her life.

"I missed you," she said softly, for what felt like the thousandth time in the past two weeks. He said nothing, but pressed his cheek against hers, leaning into her so their noses brushed. "Eskimo kiss," Bliss said, giggling and rubbing her nose against his.

"Real kiss," Dylan replied, turning and pulling her into his arms. He brushed his lips against the tip of her nose, then each of her cheeks, then finally her lips. Bliss leaned into him, kissing him back and nipping at him lightly with her fangs. He grinned and gently poked at her lips with his tongue, smiling wider when she opened her mouth to let him in.

For several precious moments, they did nothing but kiss under the starry sky, their breath making small clouds puff into the air. When they finally pulled back, Bliss yelped in surprise as something cold and wet hit her nose.

"What's wrong, silly?" Dylan asked her, looking up as more flakes tumbled from the sky, picking up speed and number with every passing second.

"Snow!" Bliss cried, laughing with glee. She'd seen the snow on the ground when they first arrived at the motel, but that had been gray and mushy and slippery. This was cool and white and powdery, and it clung to her skin for several seconds before melting and sliding down her cheeks.

"That's right, you've never seen a real snowfall before, have you?" Dylan asked thoughtfully, watching her dance around with a grin. He smiled for what felt like the first time in months, taking joy from her happiness. He didn't know what was more insane, that he was in love with a girl who spoke with a heavy Texas accent and spent hours worrying over her hair and clothes and makeup, or that she was in love with him. He laughed outright, the sound startling them both, before seizing her wrists and spinning in a circle with her, twirling as the snowflakes danced around them.

They tumbled to the ground, still laughing, rolling over and over before finally coming to a halt with Bliss lying on Dylan's chest. She twisted, hindered by the heavy parka, and finally managed to get at the right angle to plant a small kiss on his lips. His skin looked paler than ever against the white snow, but his rosy red cheeks and lips added some color to his face. She sighed in contentment and rested her head on his shoulder, using the thick coat as a pillow.

"We're supposed to be keeping a lookout," Dylan mumbled, though he made no move to push her off.

"I am looking," Bliss replied, sitting up enough to peer into his eyes.

"What do you see?" Dylan asked, smiling up at her.

"A really cute boy with snowflakes on his eyelashes," Bliss replied, raising a gloved hand to brush the flakes off his face and accomplishing nothing more than smearing more snow on his face. "It sticks!" she cried in surprise.

Dylan smirked at her, his face partially obscured by the snow. "Someday soon I'll introduce you to the concept of the snowball," he said, his eyes twinkling with mirth. "Then we'll see how much you like me."

Bliss lay her head back down, and Dylan wrapped his arms around her, contentedly staring up at the sky. Let the entire Silver Blood army come raining down on their heads, he thought dreamily. He couldn't care less at the moment. He had Bliss in his arms, and he was more content in that moment than he had been for a long, long time.

About half an hour later, Dylan regretfully sat up, dislodging Bliss in the process. Neither of them had spoken a word, and yet Dylan knew he had never felt as close to a person as he had to Bliss in the last thirty minutes. He didn't want the moment to end, but he knew if they stayed out too long they risked frostbite or, god forbid they actually doze off, hypothermia.

Bliss sat up and leaned against the railing, watching as the last few snowflakes fell from the sky, coating the entire motel in a glittering white frosting that considerably improved the entire décor. "I guess we should go wake Mimi and Jack," Bliss said, simultaneously happy and sad at the thought of entering the warm motel. She didn't want to leave her winter wonderland just yet.

"I'll go get them. You stay out here for a few minutes," Dylan told her, slipping inside the motel room and shutting the door with a click. Bliss smiled and pulled herself to her feet, staring out across the still parking lot. Something occurred to her and she frowned, digging inside her pockets.

She'd forgotten that they'd purchased a thick blanket at Wal-Mart along with the clothes and food. If the thought had occurred to her earlier, she could have used it while lying out here with Dylan. Oh well, at least the twins wouldn't have to sit in the snow. She found the car key in her pocket and tramped to the end of the open corridor before making her way down the metal staircase, her hands sliding down the wet railing.

She tramped across the parking lot, fascinated by the way her feet made silent indentations in the otherwise perfect snow. She walked to the car, pressing the button to unlock the trunk as she brushed snow off the back. She had just lifted the trunk door when she heard the noise.

Spinning, she stared wildly around, instinctively looking up to where she'd left Dylan. The balcony was deserted, and Bliss pressed a hand to her pounding heart, peering nervously around the parking lot. She didn't see anyone, and she relaxed a little, thinking she'd imagined the low growling sound.

When she turned back to the car, a Silver Blood stood before her. Bliss opened her mouth to scream, terror filling her every nerve, terror and memories of harsh claws and sharp fangs ripping into her skin. Before she could cry out, the Silver Blood lunged forward and clamped a hand over her mouth, dragging her roughly to the ground.

Bliss tried to struggle, but the beast was too strong, and in pinned her against her back bumper of the Lincoln before she could move. She thrashed back and forth, trying not to cry even as tears formed in her eyes. She could not die now, after she'd just had such a powerful connection with Dylan. She couldn't, wouldn't leave him alone.

The Silver Blood used the hand over her mouth to bend her head back, while the other arm pinned her to the car. She shuddered as it lowered its dripping mouth to her neck, and saliva fell from its fangs to her face. Desperate, Bliss scrambled with her hands in the trunk of the car, and jolted in surprise when her fingers felt cold metal. She wrapped her fingers around the object, then stamped down on the Silver Blood's food hard enough to loosen its grip on her.

Acting quickly, Bliss yanked the object out, surprised to discover a light but strong aluminum pole. She pushed in forward at an angle, praying that the Silver Blood was male. Sure enough, the pole connected with its midsection and it fell back with a snarl, stepping away from her by a few paces.

Bliss straightened up and readjusted her stance, planting her feet and holding the pole before her like a sparring stick. She looked down at her makeshift weapon, wondering who would carry a metal pole in their car. She had her answer when she examined the end, taking in the hard plastic basket laced with leather strings. Bliss looked up as the Silver Blood came towards her, preparing to swing at it with Jack Force's lacrosse stick.

**Hmm, things don't look to good for Bliss, do they? Or Oliver, for that matter. I wanted this chapter to be about rebuilding connections between the different couples, but I realized that if they all kissed and made up that was too perfect and Hall-marky. So things are a little tense for Sky and Ollie right now. I wanted to thank everyone who keeps reading this story and leaving such nice reviews even if they don't love the pairings; your positive feedback and responses are much appreciated. Thanks again, and look for another chapter next week!**

**A/N: ****Also, thank you to everyone for their patience. My hectic weeks are finally over (at least for now) and I should be updating on a fairly regular basis (once a week) from here on out. I hope people don't mind this chapter being split into two parts, that wasn't my first choice, but for some reason when I try to put in a page break it never works. **


	16. Fight to the Death

Melissa de la Cruz owns everything.

Wow, I know this is way overdue and way too short. Sorry. Enjoy.

Bliss held her stance, preparing to swing high, as the Silver Blood charged towards her. It leapt for her face and she flinched, only to have it catch her hard in the belly. She cried out as she fell backward, her voice cut short as the wind was knocked out of her. She hit the ground, her fall muffled by the snow, and she immediately rolled to the side, sliding partially under the car, desperate for protection. The Silver Blood bent and snarled at her, its breath hot in her face. She lunged forward awkwardly with the lacrosse stick, jabbing the head in its face. It yelped and leapt back, and Bliss quickly crawled farther under the car, dragging the stick with her.

The monster grabbed her foot from behind and she collapsed on her stomach, crying out when her chin hit the blacktop, causing her teeth to rattle in her mouth. She kicked back desperately, only to have her other foot grabbed in a rough hand that began to pull her out from under the car. She twisted and squirmed, awkwardly negotiating her way out of her heavy coat, freeing her arms and making herself a smaller target. Abruptly, she stopped struggling, and the hands pulled too hard, not anticipating the slackened tension. She used the momentum to twist onto her back and swing the lacrosse stick up into the Silver Blood's face.

It snarled and released her but did not retreat, barely giving Bliss time to scramble to her feet before lunging towards her again, its red eyes glowing in its dark face. It swung at her, and Bliss brought up the stick, narrowly but effectively avoiding the blow. The creature lunged low, but this time Bliss was prepared, and she swung into the blow, smashing the metal stick into the creature's stomach. For several tense moments they locked in that position, neither willing to give the other ground, before breaking apart and facing off again.

Bliss heard footsteps behind her but dared not turn and look as she prepared for the Silver Blood's next attack. All she could do was cross her fingers and pray that the footsteps did not belong to more Silver Bloods. The Silver Blood lunged again, and she lashed out hard, the sharp metal on the head slicing into the Silver Blood's cheek, blood the color of concrete dripping down its face.

Bliss turned and hit it again, driving it to the ground before smashing the stick repeatedly over its head. The Silver Blood lunged for her again, knocking her to the ground. The rolled over and over in the snow, Bliss holding the stick against its throat as the only barrier between her face and its fangs. Looking up, she saw Dylan, Mimi, and Jack standing a few feet away, tensely watching them fight, afraid to join in for fear of hurting Bliss herself.

Bliss barely had time to realize that Jack was forcibly restraining Dylan from running to her before the Silver Blood snarled and pinned her to the ground, shoving her face into the snow. She tried to break free, accomplishing nothing more than scraping her face against the hard ground.

Twisting desperately in its arms, Bliss pushed back with the lacrosse stick, thinking only of loosening its grip. She felt resistance against the head of the stick and she shoved harder, her arm muscles straining. There was a crack like a gunshot, and something wet spilled onto her shoulder, soaking through her shirt and onto her skin like cold molasses.

To her surprise, she felt the Silver Blood shudder, its limbs shaking as its hold on her loosened. She didn't realize what had happened until she tried to pull the stick back and found it was stuck. Turning her head ever so slightly, she stared into the Silver Blood's face and immediately gagged, fighting down the bile that rose in her throat when she saw what she had done. She felt the life leaving the Silver Blood as its limbs slackened and it fell forward, crushing her into the snow.

Although she told herself to move, Bliss found that she could not, and she could do nothing but lie there, shaking like a leaf, until someone pulled the Silver Blood off of her and Dylan's welcome hands pulled her up and into his arms. She told herself she didn't want to, but Bliss couldn't help but turn and look at the dead Silver Blood. The end of Jack's lacrosse stick was embedded in its throat, standing straight up like a maypole, and suddenly Bliss understood the cracking sound. Bliss had broken its neck.

Thick silver blood leaked out around the wound, quickly dyeing the ground a nasty shade of rust grey. As Bliss watched, horrified and slightly sickened, Jack placed a foot on the Silver Blood's chest and pulled the stick out.

It wasn't the sight of the body jerking with rigorous mortis, or even the blood that squirted like a geyser from the wound in the throat that did it. Instead, it was the sick sucking sound that ended in a 'pop' as Jack withdrew the stick that made Bliss lurch out of Dylan's arms and fall to the ground, barely moving away from the car before violently throwing up all over the snow.

She became aware of warm hands on the back of her neck that gathered her hair out of her face and rubbed her back as she finished heaving. She sat back, moaning, slightly surprised to discover that it was Mimi, not Dylan, who was rubbing her back in a soothing motion. She hadn't thought her friend capable of such a gesture, but then again she hadn't thought herself capable of killing another creature, even if it was a Silver Blood.

Bliss looked up just in time to see Jack Force shoving the body into the small grove of trees at the back of the parking lot. She quickly looked away. Mimi pulled her gently to her feet and led her over to sit on the edge of the open car trunk. Dylan appeared suddenly by her side, inexplicably holding his snow-filled hat. "Here," he said, offering the hat to her. "Swirl some of this around in your mouth and spit."

Bliss numbly did as he ordered, relieved to get the nasty taste out of her mouth. Dylan perched next to her, rubbing her arms, while Jack and Mimi stood before her, both of them dancing from one foot to the other on the snowy ground. It was only then that Bliss realized neither of them was wearing coats or even shoes.

"What happened?" she asked, surprised at the raspy tone of her own voice.

"I think we should be asking you that," Dylan replied, his voice tense with fear. Bliss realized he was shaking nearly as hard as she was. "I was waking up Jack and Mimi when we heard you scream. We came tearing out here, only to see you being half-mauled by a Silver Blood. We were really scared it was going to turn you."

"_We_ were scared," Mimi said sardonically, gesturing to herself and her brother. She jerked her head to indicate Dylan. "_He_ was petrified."

"I know the feeling," Bliss muttered, suddenly feeling weak and light-headed. She was having trouble bringing Mimi and Jack into focus, and the touch of Dylan's hands on her arms felt like it was coming from very far away. She closed her eyes and slumped forward, barely noticing as arms reached out to catch her. She was vaguely aware of someone lifting her and carrying her across the parking lot and up the stairs, and she could make out the sound if not the meaning of Dylan's and Jack's voices as they moved from the cool night air into the relative warmth of the hotel room, but she was not really aware of much until she felt herself laid on a soft bed.

She watched distantly as Dylan removed first hers then his own boots and socks, before he took off his coat and helped her move up the bed and wiggle under the covers. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow, secure in the knowledge that Dylan's arms were wrapped protectively around her, and nothing could harm her now.

For a long time, Dylan held her in the darkness, soothed into lethargy by the sound of her even breathing and the feel of her heart beating against his chest. He sighed deeply, staring at the same point on the ceiling until his eyes crossed. He wanted nothing more than to lie there in peace, holding his girlfriend in his arms all night long. But he knew there were important things to do—things that had to be done now, before another attack occurred, and they weren't so lucky.

Moving as carefully as possible, Dylan slid Bliss out of his arms and onto the bed, cocooning her securely in the warm blankets. With a final glance at her peaceful face, he slipped out of the room and into the main chamber. As quietly as he could, Dylan dug through the plastic Wal-Mart bags until his fingers brushed a small, heavy object. The bag rustled as he pulled the small black book out, and he froze, glancing at the sleeping figures on the bed before slowly rising to his feet.

"Where are you going?" Dylan swore softly and turned around, grimacing as Oliver sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Nowhere. Go back to sleep."

"That's Bliss's book, isn't it? The one about Lucifer's Bane."

"What's your point?" Dylan asked impatiently. Oliver sighed and climbed out of bed, limping as he padded across the thin carpet to stand in front of Dylan.

"Maybe you've forgotten, but I _am_ a Conduit. We excel at research and information gathering. If you're going to do what I think you're going to do, you'll want my help."

The door of the hotel cracked open, and an icy blast of wind wound its way around the two boys. "Are you coming?" Mimi asked impatiently, glaring at Dylan through a crack in the door.

Oliver stared at Dylan incredulously. "You're letting them in on this?"

Mimi snorted impatiently and closed the door.

Dylan scowled at Oliver. "I'm not letting them in on anything. They brought themselves into this when Jack decided to blow up Bliss's apartment. He said something about dreams. I think whatever he saw could be the key to this whole thing."

Oliver frowned thoughtfully, his eyes darting from the book to the door and back. "Fine," he said abruptly. "Let's go."

A/N: As I'm sure all of my astute readers can tell, this is only half a chapter. The thing is, it's been written for over a month and I can't seem to finish it; so my beta (also known as my sister) suggested that I just post this part for now. The truth is, I can't seem to get inspired anymore. Not about writing in general, but about Blue Bloods. Maybe I'm just pining away without anything new from either M. de la Cruz or other fanfiction writers, but this story isn't flowing anymore, and every time I sit down to write it I literally get nothing.

That being said, I am NOT giving up on this story. I'm hoping that posting this half chapter will force me into finishing the rest of it, and we'll see where it goes from there. As always, the reviews are appreciated, and it was all the positive messages of encouragement I've been receiving even though I haven't posted for a month that pushed me into finishing this. At the same time, any suggestions you guys have, even if it's just silly stuff you'd like to see, I'd love to hear it. I really need some inspiration right now.

Finally, (wow, this is getting longer than the chapter) I've said it before, but I'll say it again. PLEASE someone else write a Blue Bloods fic, and those of you who already have them started please continue them! I feel like I'm on a little raft all by myself, waiving my little Blue Bloods flag in the air. Thanks for putting up with me, guys!


	17. The Tragic Life History of Dylan Ward

**Melissa de la Cruz owns Blue Bloods, Masquerade, and Shelter Island.**** No infringement intended, just a lot of homage. This is dedicated to Forbids, author of **_**Shades**_** and **_**Endings**_**. Thanks for posting your stories. Your writing definitely inspires me too! **

"What's he doing out here?" Jack demanded, gesturing to Oliver as the boys slipped out and closed the door behind them.

"I could ask you the same question," Oliver shot back, and the two boys glared daggers at each other.

"Down, puppies," Mimi said, her voice bored. "I'm sure you're both very manly and…whatever, but I'm missing my beauty rest, and we've got work to do here, so sit down. The sooner we finish this the sooner I can go back to sleep."

"Because the world revolves around you," Dylan said sarcastically. Really, that girl was too much sometimes.

"Yes, it does," Mimi said primly. "I'm glad you've finally acknowledged that fact."

"Alright, guys—girls—enough," Jack said, settling himself as best he could on the cold ground. Bliss had gotten a blanket from the trunk, but Mimi had promptly taken it and wrapped it around her shoulders. Jack probably could have fought her for it, but he was too tired and cold to get involved in petty squabbling with his sister.

"So we're here to pool our information about the jewel and the Silver Bloods, and to try and figure out who's attacking us and following us and why," Dylan began formally, when everyone else seemed disinclined to start.

"Before we do that, how about you tell us where you've been for the past seven months," Jack broke in, his voice tense as he watched the other boy.

"I could do that," Dylan said evenly. "Or, alternatively, you could tell us what in the name of heaven motivated you to come to my girlfriend's apartment at one o'clock in the morning and completely destroy the place!"

"Hang on," Oliver said, raising his hands in the 'time-out' gesture. "If we're putting all cards on the table, why aren't Bliss and Schuyler out here? They've got a right to know what's going on, and they might have some valuable information too."

"We'll share everything with them after we've sorted it out," Mimi said calmly, "But for right now, Bliss is recovering from a terrifying ordeal, and if what she's said is any indication, she has no idea of the power and the darkness of the jewel. It's probably better she doesn't know until we can sort it out for ourselves."

"And Schuyler?" Oliver demanded. Mimi stared at him in contempt for a second, then sat up straighter and spoke coldly.

"Schuyler is neither a Blue Blood nor a Conduit. She knows nothing of the jewel, nothing of Lucifer, and nothing of the terrible power that both possess. She's only involved in this because we dragged her into it. I'm not saying we can't tell her everything later, but right now we've got to sort this out as quickly as we can, and that means we don't have time for naïve questions and righteous indignation."

Both Oliver and Jack looked angry, and both opened their mouths to reprimand Mimi, but she shut them up with a glare and continued without acknowledging them. "Now, I suggest that Dylan shares his whereabouts first, because it falls farther back on the timeline, and then Jack can tell us why he dragged us all to Bliss's apartment at an ungodly hour in the morning. We'll go from there. Does that satisfy everybody?"

The three boys all nodded mutely, and Dylan shook his head in amazement, wondering how he had missed this domineering side of Mimi Force. It had always been there, he realized, he was just used to seeing it directed at giggling lackeys and the plans for next season's social scene, not ancient and mysterious jewelry and dark angels.

Dylan looked up, and realized the other three were all watching him expectantly. He took a deep breath, then shuddered slightly and took a few seconds to collect himself before beginning. "My name is Dylan Ward, but I'm not the boy you think you know. The truth is, from the time I was about ten years old, I've served as a Tracker. My Uncle, who raised me, realized several years ago that a Silver Blood had somehow disguised itself and worked its way into the upper echelons of Blue Blood society.

"He also realized the Silver Blood was either wearing the form of a child or somehow closely connected to the youngest Blue Bloods. So, my uncle recruited me to help find the Silver Blood. He trained me in the Velox test, and the four factors of the Glom, and he taught me how to Track. As soon as I entered Middle School, I began to put my skills to work.

"It was very difficult, and my uncle and I had almost no leads. Instead, I spent most of my time with my ears and eyes open, listening to the older Blue Bloods, especially the teenagers. I've always been quiet and non social, so no one noticed me and if they did they just chalked it up to my weirdness.

"Then, about three years ago, everything changed. A young man named Edmund Ashland was found dead in the parking lot behind a prestigious prep school in Pennsylvania. The media chocked it up to a drug overdose, but no one could figure out why he'd injected the drugs into his neck….and why there were two puncture points.

"My uncle, of course, realized that this was the sign he'd been waiting for. The Silver Blood had grown restless and killed a young Blue Blood, clearly revealing its presence. My uncle wanted to go public at once, but the man who'd commissioned him to hunt the Silver Bloods ordered him to wait."

"Who was that?" Jack asked. He hated to break into Dylan's admittedly fascinating story, but he wanted as much information as possible. Dylan glanced at Jack, then turned to look at Mimi.

"Lawrence van Alen, Schuyler's grandfather, hired my uncle to track the Silver Bloods. They communicated mostly through letters, as Lawrence was still living as a voluntary exile in Venice. Lawrence knew that no matter how damning the evidence, until they had an actual Silver Blood in custody the Committee would refuse to believe it. That, of course, was because a certain power-hungry Regis was blind to the threat to the community and refused to acknowledge that there was even the slightest chance he might be wrong. That man's name was—"

"Charles van Alen Force," Oliver broke in, glaring daggers at Mimi and Jack. "And of course, when someone did bring a Silver Blood to justice, he refused to acknowledge it because she was his own daughter!"

Jack flinched and started to go for Oliver, but Dylan grabbed him and yanked him roughly back. "She was cleared, you fool," Jack said coldly. "I don't care what you think of us, but leave my sister alone. Your petty accusations and your prejudices do nothing but hurt other people. She was cleared before one hundred witnesses, and you're only contesting it because Schuyler was involved in something you can never be a part of, and you're jealous and feeling betrayed."

"Don't you dare judge me!" Oliver said angrily. "I don't care what Schuyler supposedly discovered, it doesn't change the fact that Mimi tried to murder her! Can she deny that?"

"Mimi wouldn't—"

"Shut up!" Mimi yelled, and they all froze as her voice rang across the parking lot. "I'm not proud of it," she said quietly.

"Mimi?" Jack whispered, his voice confused.

"I'm not proud of it," she said again. "I don't know what I was thinking," she continued, her voice almost trance-like. "I never really thought out the consequences. I was so angry, and frightened, and everything seemed so hopeless. Then Kingsley offered me a way out and I…I took it. I didn't know what else to do," she finished in a small voice.

"Why?" Oliver demanded, staring at her without comprehension. "Why would you do something like that? I know you don't like Schuyler because she's a half-blood—"

"It wasn't that!" Mimi said defensively. She glared at Oliver for a moment, and then she seemed to collapse and shrink into herself. "It wasn't that," she said, her voice soft. "It was…" she glanced down, and when she looked up and spoke again, her voice shook and her eyes were overly bright.

"What would you do, if you thought the man you'd loved for ten thousand years was leaving you?" Mimi asked, her voice soft and quivering. "If you tried everything to hold his attention, but he just kept slipping away from you, until it seemed the only way you could hold onto him was by removing the object of his affection, the person that caused his deviance?" They all watched her, frozen like statues, and she looked up bravely and met Oliver's gaze, staring at him through the tears in her eyes.

"I didn't do it because I hate Schuyler," she said slowly. "I did it because I'm in love."

"With who?" Oliver asked, his voice curious and non-confrontational. Mimi stared at him dubiously for a moment, and then her mask snapped back into place and her face hardened.

"Think about it, Einstein. I'm sure the answer will come to you eventually," she snapped, brusquely wiping her eyes.

"What, Kingsley?" Oliver asked blankly. He was totally lost, and he didn't have a clue who the hell Mimi could be talking about. Who loved Schuyler that Mimi also loved? There wasn't any connection between the two, save for Jack… As soon as the thought occurred to him, Oliver slammed his mind shut on the thought and forced it out of his head. No. That was disgusting and wrong, and there was no way the Mimi had been talking about Jack.

"Never mind who it was," Jack said abruptly, and Mimi looked at him, stung, in a moment that Oliver and Dylan completely missed. "The important thing is that Mimi's not the Silver Blood, and she's sorry, and she won't do it again. Right?" he asked, looking at his sister, his voice slightly challenging.

"Right," Mimi said coldly, biting her lip to keep her voice from shaking. She started to reach out to Jack with her mind, but she found it closed to her, as effectively as if he'd slammed a door in her face.

"Anyways…." Dylan said awkwardly, letting the word hang.

"Yes, by all means, continue," Mimi said in a disinterested voice. She huddled back farther in her blanket, obscuring her face from the three boys as much as possible.

Dylan shifted uncomfortably, then sat up straighter and continued in a hesitant voice. "Following Edmund Ashland's death, my uncle and I began travelling around the East Coast, following the murderer wherever he or she went. It was difficult, but we began to slowly gather information about a network of Silver Bloods that was building an army in hopes of attacking the Blue Bloods."

"What?" Oliver gasped, shuddering in fear and revulsion. Mimi and Jack sat up straighter and stared at him, their eyes wide. Dylan shook his head and sighed.

"Don't worry, it never even came into the early planning stages. You see, Silver Bloods, for all their power, are essentially idiots."

"Shocking." Mimi said sarcastically.

"They can't plan, and they can't organize. So we realized there had to somebody on the inside, some Blue Blood, who was helping the Silver Bloods for whatever reason. Someone who was twice fallen."

Without thinking, Mimi and Jack automatically made the sign of the cross as Dylan spoke, and both of them shivered as Dylan himself looked uncomfortable and Oliver looked confused. "What does that mean?" he asked. "Twice fallen?"

"Every single vampire except for Michael and Gabrielle is a Fallen Angel, a warrior who chose to join Lucifer in his rebellion against Heaven." Jack explained. "What sets the Blue Bloods apart from the Silver Bloods is that we chose to renounce Lucifer, and acknowledge our crimes. The Silver Bloods are the angels that did not turn back, the ones that chose to remain loyal to Lucifer, even after Michael vanquished him. It seems unthinkable and impossible, but sometimes, every once in a while, a Blue Blood chooses to turn from the Light and re-join the armies of the Silver Bloods. We call it twice fallen. It's double damnation, and there's no chance of turning back once you've fallen."

Dylan sighed and picked up his story. "Whomever this vampire is, and we still don't know for absolutely certain what her name is—"

"Her?" Mimi asked, poking her head farther out of her blanket. "I thought you told Bliss you knew. I thought Kingsley was the Silver Blood."

Dylan looked very serious as he watched Mimi out of narrowed eyes. "Kingsley is certainly important to the plan, but he is not the ringleader. It's someone older, someone more mature than he. I have my suspicions, but I'd prefer to keep them to myself for now."

"Fine." Said Jack impatiently. "So you ran around playing secret agent, and that led you to New York?"

"We didn't know for sure, but we'd received a tip-off from an anonymous Conduit that the Silver Blood might be heading to Duchesne. Then, only two weeks after I arrived, Aggie Carondolet was murdered. My uncle and I knew immediately that something was wrong. Aggie wasn't a very important or powerful vampire, so why had she been taken?

"Unless, as we soon realized, she hadn't been the intended victim."

"So who was the Silver Blood really trying to kill?" Jack asked.

Dylan ran a hand through his greasy hair, and he looked suddenly worn and old. "Shortly before we came to New York, I accidentally stumbled upon a plot to bring Lucifer back from the dead." They all goggled at him, mouths open, and he continued quickly before they could start barraging him with questions.

"It wasn't actually Blue Bloods or even Silver Bloods who were doing the planning, but a group of human high school students at my school." They all sat back and looked relieved and a little dubious, and, as Dylan had predicted she would, Mimi spoke up sarcastically.

"You and your uncle freaked out over a bunch of wanna-be Satanists whose idea of a good time was gutting a cat?"

"That's what we thought at first, that it was just a bunch of high school Goths with an overblown sense of their own importance, but then I realized that they were taking orders from an outside source. We realized that not only was their plan real, but that it was viable. Someone, some Blue Blood, was using these kids as pawns to bring about Lucifer's return. They could have done it, too, except that they were missing one essential ingredient."

"The Rose of Lucifer." Jack whispered, and Dylan nodded.

"When we arrived in New York, we assumed they were trying to access the jewel, but we couldn't figure out where they hoped to locate it. Gabrielle had always possessed the jewel, but unless she was wearing it under her hospital gown, the jewel seemed to be up for grabs. And then we found out about this."

Dylan reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a worn sheet of paper, its edges soft from being folded and unfolded several times.

"What is it?"Oliver asked. Dylan took a deep breath and looked at them.

"The Last Will and Testament of Allegra van Alen." he announced softly.

"What?!" Oliver yelped.

"You stole it!" Jack said accusingly.

"Oh step off your podium, Force, yes we stole it. Put me under citizen's arrest if it offends you so much." Dylan said sarcastically. "It's not like we technically took it or anything."

"What do you mean _technically_?" Mimi asked suspiciously.

"Before she fell into a coma, Allegra split her estate between three people: her mother, Cordelia van Alen, her father, Lawrence van Alen, and her brother, Charles van Alen.

"All we did was call up Lawrence and tell him we needed the will. He didn't have it, but his wife, Cordelia, did. Technically, they couldn't give it to us without Charles Force-van Alen's permission, so instead Cordelia left it lying on her front table with the front door unlocked. My uncle just walked into the house and took it, and the servants pretended not to see him. It was as simple as that."

"So what does it say?" Mimi asked, curious.

Dylan held up the paper and skimmed through it until he found the section he wanted. "The Rose of Lucifer shall be left to my daughter, on the provision that she does not use it until she has been presented formally at the Four Hundred Ball, and that she uses it with wisdom and prudence and only in times of great desperation."

"So why didn't Schuyler have the jewel?" Jack asked, puzzled. Dylan looked up at him slyly.

"You'll notice that the will specifically does not list Allegra's daughter by name."

"Who else could it possibly be referring to?" Oliver demanded.

"Bliss Llewellyn." Dylan said, his words like a prayer. Mimi completely ruined the moment by laughing out loud.

"Bliss? Bliss isn't Allegra's daughter! Her mother's name was Charlotte Potter!" Mimi shook her head. Clearly, Dylan had lost a few marbles in the weeks he'd been gone.

"It's…possible." Jack said slowly, hardly believing the words as he spoke them.

"What?" Mimi demanded, looking at her brother incredulously. He pointedly ignored her and turned to Dylan.

"After Allegra left my father, she went to stay in Texas with one of her friends from high school, Forsyth Llewellyn. She was there for about ten months before returning to New York and meeting Stephen. It's not impossible that something could have happened between the two of them while they were alone in Texas."

"There's that…" Dylan said, nodding his head in acknowledgment. "…and then there's also this." Dylan pulled a second piece of paper out of his pocket, a small square piece that on closer inspection revealed itself to be a photograph. It featured a pretty young woman with long blond hair leaning on a shiny red Mustang, her arm looped casually around the shoulders of the red-headed man standing next to her.

"That's…that's Allegra van Alen and Bliss's father!" Mimi said, startled. Dylan nodded.

"Look closely. Do you notice anything in particular about Allegra?" They all squinted closely at the picture.

"She's pregnant!" Oliver said in surprise, staring at her stomach protruding slightly from her slim frame.

"Oliver, when's Schuyler's birthday?" Dylan asked.

"September 29, 1989." Jack answered automatically. He stared fixatedly at the photo and pretended not to see the resentful expression of Oliver's face and the hurt one on Mimi's. Dylan raised an eyebrow at him for a moment, and then flipped the photo over.

"This picture is dated May of 1988. There's no way she could have been pregnant with Schuyler at the time. And think about it. Bliss's mother supposedly cycled out earlier when she was really little, right? Doesn't that seem a little convenient to you? What if she didn't cycle out? What if she eventually left her daughter with Forsyth Llewellyn, and returned to New York, and met a man named Stephen Chase, and fell in love with him so deeply that when he died she essentially stopped living?"

"That's…wow…that's …that's…wow." Oliver said slowly, his mouth opening and closing like a mechanical doll.

"Are you always this articulate?" Mimi asked him dryly, and he shot her a dirty look. She studiously ignored him, smiling to herself in triumph as she saw her brother stifle a laugh.

"This is all so complicated!" Oliver exclaimed. "Half-sisters, and run-away brides, and ambiguous wills, and secret spy networks…"

"Not really." Mimi said, looking at Dylan. "Schuyler is Allegra's daughter by Stephen Chase, a human. Bliss is her daughter by Forsyth Llewellyn, a Blue Blood. Allegra passed the Rose of Lucifer on to Bliss, her daughter. The Silver Bloods need the jewel to bring Lucifer back, so they tracked Bliss down in New York City and tried to kill her…right?"

"Right." Dylan said, impressed despite himself. Mimi had managed to boil down a complex and intricate tale into a few simple statements. Maybe she wasn't as dumb as she looked.

"So," he said, continuing his story, "we figured the only reason the Silver Blood killed Aggie in that alleyway instead of Bliss was because I was with her. After we figured out that Bliss was Allegra's daughter, I became as close to her as possible, hoping I could protect her."

"So you never really liked her?" Mimi demanded suspiciously. She glared fiercely at Dylan, filled with righteous indignation for her best friend.

"No! No, I like her a lot!" Dylan said hurriedly. "I…I think I love her." he added quietly.

"Oh. Alright then." Mimi said with a shrug. Dylan glanced at her for a moment, thinking she would continue, then turned away as she began studying her cuticles. He shook his head. He really didn't understand that girl.

"I did my best to protect her, and my suspicions about her being Allegra's other daughter were only confirmed when a Silver Blood tried to attack Schuyler a few times. They didn't know which of her daughters had it, just that Bliss and Schuyler were her daughters."

"So what happened?" Jack asked. "Why did you leave the city?" Dylan sighed and glanced away, his face lined with sadness.

"When Mr. Force and Senator Llewellyn arrested me for supposedly killing Aggie, my uncle was enraged. We'd spent so much time and energy hunting down the Silver Bloods for a community that couldn't care less about us and was completely uninterested in the truth. He was bound and determined to find the Silver Blood and prove to the Committee once and for all that they had really returned. He only wanted to free me," Dylan said, and his eyes were bright with tears.

"He went out and scoured the city, searching for a Silver Blood that he could capture and use as proof. He found one." Dylan continued, his voice harsh.

"He found one, and then five of its friends stepped out of the shadows and tore him to pieces." Dylan flinched and looked down, his shoulders hunching as tears ran down his cheeks and dampened the collar of his coat. Oliver moved awkwardly closer to Dylan and hesitantly patted his shoulder, comforting his friend as best he could.

"They didn't even care enough to turn him." Dylan whispered. "They just left his mangled body lying out in the open in a dirty alley way, like he didn't even matter. Like he wasn't even important, just another piece of trash to throw into the gutter."

"What happened after that?" Jack asked softly. He was no fan of Dylan Ward's but he couldn't help feeling bad for the boy. He couldn't imagine how terrible the experience had been for him, and he hoped that prompting Dylan to continue his story might distract him from his grief.

"I escaped. I can't explain it, but I felt it when he died. I just knew, somehow, that he'd been killed. So I broke out and went looking for him. I'd just found his body when the Silver Bloods returned and attacked me. I managed to escape, mostly because a passing car broke down and startled them away, but before I got away one of them bit me.

"I didn't know if I was turned, or if I would gradually turn into one of them or what. I ran, and I went to the only person beside my uncle who'd ever really cared about me. I wanted to tell Bliss I loved her, and I wanted to share the whole story, every last minute of it, with her. But as I sat on her bed, I realized that I wanted to drink her blood. And I knew right then that I had to go away, as far away as possible, so I couldn't hurt her.

"I warned her about the Silver Bloods, and then I left. I made it look like I'd killed myself, so no one would look for me. I hated to do that to Bliss, but I just wanted her to be safe. I hid out in my family's cabin on Shelter Island for a few months, and while I was there I made a human girl my familiar. After a while, I realized that I desired human blood more than Blue Blood. I'm not saying the craving's not still there, but it's pretty easy to control.

"After a short time, though, I realized that a Silver Blood had tracked me there. I knew I had to leave, and return to New York, and face all of the trouble I'd inadvertently caused Bliss. I'm sorry that you were blamed for the Silver Blood attacks, Mimi," he said, turning to look at the older girl.

"I know you're not my biggest fan, and quite frankly I'm not yours either, but I swear I never meant to put you in danger. I just want Bliss to be safe and happy, that's all, I swear."Dylan took a deep breath and sat back, exhausted after such a long tale.

"The only other thing I know is that the Silver Bloods are about to make their move. I don't know precisely when it's going to be, but it's going to be soon and it's going to be nasty and big and dangerous."

"Of course." said Mimi with a sigh. "It would be too easy to have a nice, sweet,_ little_ Silver Blood attack. Instead we get stuck with the motherload of all apocalypses. Of course. It just figures."

Oliver stared at her and shook his head. "You are a strange, strange girl." he said, and Dylan nodded emphatically in agreement.

**Forgive me, but I am very happy with myself right now. I finally, finally sat down and wrote this chapter that's been kicking my butt for weeks and weeks. As you can tell, ****it's**** exposition and A LOT of back story, and it had to be done to help establish and fortify the driving story behind this ****fic****, but it was SO complicated and it took me FOREVER. For your patience and for all your kind reviews, I thank you endlessly. As you probably noticed, Bliss and Schuyler are absent from this chapter, and I hate to say it but I think they're going to be MIA in the next chapter as well. Don't worry; I'll make up for it later. As Mimi says, I thought it would be easier to do all this complex story building without two essentially naïve characters hanging around and asking lots of questions. Not that I don't like the girls, but at least the way I'm playing this the other Blue Bloods and Oliver know a lot more of what's going on. I'm proud to say that I already have a good portion of the next ****chapter written, so it should be up sometime in the next week to a week and a half. Thank you so much for all your responses, and look sharp for another update! **

**P.S. I posted another Blue Bloods one-shot called Coming to Terms. It's a little odd and illusion-y, but ****check**** it out if you get the chance. **

**P. P. S. T****he part about Dylan hiding out on Shelter Island (ONLY that part) is not mine. It's from Melissa de la Cruz's story Shelter Island, from the short story book 666 The Number of the Beast. **


	18. The Resurrection Spell

**Melissa de la Cruz owns everything Blue Bloods.**

**Before you read, a quick warning: if you haven't kept up to date with the story or read the previous chapters (especially chapters 7 and 17) in a while, you might be a little (or a lot) lost when you read this chapter. **

"Now," Dylan said, turning sharply to look at Jack. "I've told you my story. Why don't you explain why you came bursting into Bliss's apartment at 12:00 in the morning and put all of our lives in danger!"

"I didn't mean to," Jack said heavily, stretching his arms with a sigh. They'd been sitting on the cold balcony for hours now, it seemed. "I… I've been having dreams," he admitted, unconsciously shuddering. "Terrifying ones."

"Like the ones Bliss was having… is having?" Oliver asked, amending his words when Dylan shook his head grimly.

"I don't think so," Jack said slowly, frowning as he puzzled over the dreams in his head. "At least based on the little I know about them, I don't think so. For one, I don't dream that the Silver Bloods are hunting me, specifically. They're not even in there that much, actually. For another, even though I wake up freaked out of my mind every time, it's not like I can't breathe, or I'm sick or anything."

"So what do you dream, Jack?" Mimi asked, reaching for her brother's hand, determinedly ignoring his brief hesitation before he took it.

He squeezed her fingers tightly, and when he looked up at her his eyes were wide and frightened. Mimi frowned and scrambled closer, until she could hold both his hands tightly in her own. "What do you see?" she asked softly, looking at him as if they were the only people there, making Dylan and Oliver inconsequential.

The other two boys exchanged uneasy glances, but Dylan raised a hand to stop Oliver when he opened his mouth. As strange as the concept was, they had to trust Mimi.

"Jack?"

"I see…I see your death." Jack whispered, shuddering and turning away. "Yours, and Schuyler's."

Mimi frowned and started to pull back, but as she did Jack grabbed her roughly, holding her so tightly it hurt. She winced, struggling to breathe, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Dylan and Oliver start to move. She shook her head quickly, shooing them away, and wriggled in her brother's grasp so they were eye to eye.

"What's wrong, Jack?" she said firmly. "What else do you see?"

"It's not what I see," he said, his green eyes haunted. "It's what I _know_."



"Jack?" she said uncertainly, trying in vain to pull away again. She no longer wanted to put some distance between them—she just didn't want to be held in his iron grip so tightly she was sure she'd have bruises in a few hours.

Jack ignored her struggles, leaning forward to whisper in her ear. "He wants us back."

Mimi froze, her heart thudding at a million beats a second. She had never been as frightened as she was in that moment—not when she'd thought she was going to burn, not when they'd been attacked by the Silver Bloods, not even when she thought Jack was going to die. She didn't have to ask who 'he' was. She knew.

"I suspected as much." The interference of another person's voice seemed to wake Jack from whatever spell had seized hold of him, and he released Mimi, his eyes unsettled but clear as he turned to look at Dylan.

"You knew?" he demanded, and Dylan shook his head.

"Not until this moment, no, I didn't. It was just a rumor," he continued, when he saw that they would demand the full story. "but it makes perfect sense. He'd want you back, you know, to round out the Apocalyptic Angels."

"Apocalyptic Angels?" Oliver demanded, looking around nervously as if he expected them to swoop suddenly out of the sky.

Dylan laughed humorlessly and grabbed his friend's shoulder. "Right there," he said, directing Oliver's gaze to Jack and Mimi.

"Figures." Oliver muttered, shivering and turning away. "Freaks."

Jack's frown deepened, and Mimi made a move as if to start towards the human boy, but Jack grabbed her arm and shook his head. _It's not worth it_, he thought silently, and Mimi was happy enough that he was speaking to her again she settled down and ignored Oliver.

"So what did you, uh, dream?" Dylan asked Jack awkwardly. This whole conversation sounded way too much like something off of Dr. Phil or Oprah—if Dr. Phil and Oprah had been thousand year old vampires.

Jack told them, describing each of the four dreams in as much detail as he could remember. He explained about being Kingsley Martin, earning shudders from Mimi and Oliver, and how he had seen the older boy watching Mimi and Schuyler. He told them about the cave full of Silver Bloods, and the strange girl he'd seen with Kingsley. Finally, he told them about the dream he'd had only hours before, the one that was still so fresh in his mind.

"And then he said…" Jack's eyes darkened, and he couldn't look at Mimi as he finished. "He said, 'Your girls scream so pretty.' And that was it. Mimi and Schuyler were dead, all because I didn't get there in time. I couldn't protect them."



"It was a dream, dude." Oliver said uneasily, wondering why Jack always had to be so doom and gloom. The guy really did think he was Batman, or something.

Mimi snorted softly under her breath, and shook her head. She didn't say anything, but she privately thought that a lot of this came from Jack's massive Hero Complex and his compulsive need to save and protect everybody else, especially girls. She wouldn't call him on it, but he knew as well as she did that she was more than capable of defending herself.

Only Dylan looked deadly serious as he watched Jack. "You say you saw Bliss holding Lucifer's Bane?"

"Yes." Jack said, looking up to meet his former page's eyes while Oliver looked dubious and Mimi looked skeptical. "And it all clicked. The whole time I'd been having the dreams, I had this sense like he—Lucifer—was getting stronger, and Kingsley was helping him. I wanted—I need—to stop them, but I didn't know how. I thought if I could somehow destroy the thing that he clearly wanted, the jewel, then I could stop him."

"You foolish, foolish boy." Dylan said softly, his words harsh despite his volume. All three of them looked up in shock, and Jack's face darkened with anger.

"Excuse me?"

"You played right into his hands, you idiot!" Dylan snapped angrily, leaping to his feet and pacing back and forth, his boots crunching on the light dusting of snow.

"Care to explain yourself?" Mimi asked, and Oliver could practically feel the ice dripping off her words.

Dylan scowled, but after a moment he sat back down, his face tight with contained energy and rage. "He _wanted_ Jack to try and destroy the jewel, because he knew it wouldn't work."

"But why take the risk?" Oliver asked, frowning as he worked it through in his head.

"It wasn't a risk!" Dylan said angrily. "There's no way a Word of Power could destroy the jewel—it's too strong. But anytime one of Lucifer's lieutenants speaks their word, it calls the Silver Bloods! Lucifer knew the jewel was close, but he didn't know where. So he used _him_"—Dylan jerked his head savagely at Jack—"to lead the Silver Bloods right to the jewel!

"Think about it," Dylan continued. "We know Kingsley was stalking Bliss for days, maybe weeks, before he came to Duchesne. He must have suspected she had the jewel."

"But why?" Oliver asked.

"It's one of the old myths surrounding Lucifer's Bane," Dylan said quietly. He tilted his head back and spoke to the stars, his voice strangely detached as he spoke, almost as if he were singing. "And Death shall own it, and Famine shall rule it, and Destruction shall surround it, and War shall follow it."

Jack and Mimi shivered, feeling his words like a call, like a Siren's song, while Oliver frowned thoughtfully.



"That doesn't rhyme," he said finally, and they all looked at him in disbelief.

"I think that's a little beside the point," Jack said coolly, and Oliver shrugged.

"I'm just saying—"

"Anyways," Mimi said forcefully, gesturing for Dylan to explain.

"Anyways, it's always been said that whoever has the jewel is surrounded by the Apocalyptic Curses: death, famine, destruction, and war. If any Blue Blood has experienced an abundance of those things in the past year or so, it's Bliss. Add into it that fact that we're pretty sure they knew she was Allegra's daughter, and Kingsley probably thought he'd found Lucifer's Bane right off the bat."

"And then Schuyler entered the picture." Jack said softly, and Oliver shot him a look.

"Yes. And she fit the requirements also, and Kingsley was stuck. He tried to use a Silver Blood to reveal the location, but that backfired and he had to run to keep from being arrested himself."

"Cowardly A-Hole." Mimi said bitterly, and Oliver for once had the sense to refrain from comment.

"And that's when I began getting those dreams," Jack said, realization striking him like a sledgehammer. He'd known those dreams were evil—he should have known he was being manipulated. "I am a fool." he said quietly, and Dylan nodded grimly.

"In just a few hours, the whole Blue Blood community is going to be searching for us," Mimi said, bringing them back to reality, "including this traitor, whoever that might be."

"Yeah, thanks to your brother!" Oliver said angrily.

Mimi coolly ignored him and continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. "We can't change what's already happened, so I suggest we figure out a plan, and we do so quickly. We don't have much time," she pointed out, gesturing to the sky. They could all see streaks of pink and yellow beginning to break through the dark clouds. Morning was almost upon them.

"Well, the first thing to figure out is why Kingsley wants the jewel… right?" Oliver asked, looking from one vampire to the next for confirmation.

"I should think that's pretty obvious!" said Jack impatiently, running his hand through his hair. Oliver wondered briefly if he had ever considered a career in daytime soaps, but wisely kept the thought to himself.

"He wants to bring Lu-ci-fer back." Mimi said carefully, as if she thought Oliver particularly slow. The 'duh' was left unsaid, but they all heard it anyway.

"But how?" Dylan wondered.

"And why now?" Jack added.



"And where?" Mimi said.

"And what are you all doing out here?!" they all spun around to see a sleepy Schuyler van Alen peering out the motel door at them.

"I thought it was my time to keep watch, so I got up and noticed Ollie was already gone… what are you guys _doing_ out here?"

"Satanic rituals," Dylan said, at the same time Mimi said,

"Sex orgy." Schuyler stared at them blankly, wiping sleep from her eyes, and Jack took pity on her.

"We're trying to figure out what the deal is with Lucifer's Bane. We didn't wake you or Bliss because you looked like you could use the sleep." It wasn't the whole truth, but no one offered to elaborate, and Schuyler just shrugged and nodded, zipping up her parka.

Jack stood and moved to help her sit down, and Mimi scowled to herself as Oliver rushed to stand and almost tripped over his own feet.

"She doesn't need your help, Force!" he said angrily, shoving past Jack and taking Schuyler's elbow to help her sit.

"Don't touch me, Ollie!" Schuyler snapped, pulling her arm away and settling down between the two boys, a position which made no one happy but Dylan, who couldn't have cared less.

"Little territorial, aren't they?" he staged-whispered to Mimi, who tossed her hair and turned deliberately away from him.

"Well this is awkward," he commented to no one. Schuyler sighed and buried herself deeper in her parka. Only a few hours ago they'd all been getting along so well, but ever since they'd arrived at Bliss's apartment it was like they'd reverted back to their old ways.

"So," Schuyler said, twisting her fingers nervously in the nylon sleeves of her coat, "Care to bring me up to speed?"

One by one, Mimi, Oliver, Dylan, and Jack each opened their mouths and then closed them again.

"Jack? Care to tell her about your dreams?" Dylan offered, and Jack shook his head.

"Not unless you want to explain everything you just spent _two hours_ telling us!" he shot back.

"Can someone just tell me what's going on!" Schuyler demanded when they all continued to look blank.

"I'll summarize— no wait, there's still too much." Mimi said quickly, her mind racing. She really didn't feel like retelling the whole story, but she figured Schuyler would have to find out sooner or later, and with the three boys doing their best impressions of wooden puppets—dumb males—she decided she'd have to take charge.



"Kingsley Martin is trying to get the jewel to help Lucifer in some unknown manner, for some unknown purpose. He conned Jack into using his Word of Power to find the jewel, and now he's probably coming after us… maybe. Oh, and Bliss is your half-sister."

The mouth-agape thing must be contagious, Mimi decided, as Schuyler joined the three boys in dropping her jaw and gaping at Mimi.

"You all look like idiots." Mimi observed, before turning away and cleaning her cuticles.

"Bliss is my—"

"Never mind that now," Jack said quickly, wincing when Schuyler looked stung. "We need to figure out what Lucifer wants with the jewel."

"Maybe this can help?" Dylan offered, holding up the heavy black book that Bliss had carried from her wrecked apartment. "Bliss said her father always kept this with the jewel, so maybe they're connected in some way."

"It's worth a shot," said Oliver dubiously, and they all bent closer as Dylan lay the book in the center of their circle and opened to the first page.

"It's blank!" Schuyler cried.

"No, really?" Mimi asked sarcastically, and Schuyler glared at her cousin.

Dylan ignored the two girls and flipped through, grimly ascertaining that as Schuyler had observed, the entire book was indeed blank.

"Maybe she grabbed the wrong one?" he said hesitantly.

"No, wait!" Jack cried, reaching out and stopping Dylan as he reached the very center of the book. "Look!" There were words written along the spine, in handwriting so tiny that not even the Blue Bloods with their enhanced vision could read it. They all bent closer, accomplishing nothing more than banging their heads together.

Mimi rolled her eyes at them and shooed them all back, and Jack bent closer to see the small print.

"To reveal the secret, simply reveal yourself," Jack read dubiously, squinting at the small, spidery words by the dim glow of the flashlight. "Well that's supremely unhelpful," he muttered.

"Reveal yourself?" Oliver asked archly. "I think the meaning's perfectly clear," he said briskly. "Reveal yourself. Seems pretty straight forward to me. So, who's volunteering to go first? Schuyler? Mimi?" he asked, leering jokingly at the girls.

"You're hysterical, Oliver," Dylan said dryly, while Jack scowled and Mimi tossed her hair over her shoulder, sneering elegantly at Oliver.



"Hey, you got a better idea?" Oliver asked, stung. Would it kill the Forces to lighten up a little bit? And why did Jack get so angry at a little harmless flirting? It wasn't like he was coming on to the other boy's girlfriend or anything.

Dylan took a deep breath. "Yeah, maybe I do," he said softly. The others watched him in mild surprise and curiosity as he picked up the book off the ground and held it before his face. "My name is Dylan Spenser Ward. I want to know—" he broke off abruptly and held the book open for the others to see. They all watched in amazement as letters appeared on the page, seemingly written by an invisible hand.

_Who are you? _ the letters spelled out, in the same spidery hand.

"My name is Dylan—"

_Who are you? _ the letters seemed, if possible, more emphatic this time. Dylan took a deep breath, then grasped the book more firmly in his hands and spoke directly to it, his voice low and emotionless.

"I am Marchosias, the Angel of Truth, Page to Lord Abaddon, the Angel of Destruction. I tell no lies and I can commit no deception. I demand to know your secrets." They waited tensely for several seconds, but nothing happened.

"Give it here," Jack said suddenly, and Dylan passed the book to him without question. Jack expelled his breath slowly, and then spoke to the book in an even voice. "I am Abaddon, the Angel of Destruction. I am the Master of the Dark One's armies. I know no peace, and I show no mercy. I demand to know your secrets."

Schuyler couldn't help the shudder that passed through her at Jack's words, no more than she could help flinching back when Jack passed the book to her. Hesitantly, she took it from him, careful to not let Jack's skin touch her own. She knew Jack would never deliberately hurt her, but there was something frightening about him when he got this way.

"I am Schuyler van Alen," she said, then paused, unsure how to continue. She had no angelic title, but neither was she human like Oliver. Finally, words came to her and she spoke clearly to the book in the cool morning air. "I am the daughter of Gabrielle, the Uncorrupted. I demand to know your secrets." She passed the book to Oliver, who looked even more lost than she had a few seconds ago.

"I am Oliver Hazard-Perry," he began hesitantly. "I am a Conduit, a servant of the Old Ones. I serve the Blue Bloods faithfully." _There_, he thought. _If that didn't satisfy it, I don't know what will_. "I, uh, I demand to know your secrets," he finished lamely before offering the book to Mimi.

"I am Azrael. The Angel of Death," Mimi said simply. "Reveal yourself to us." She lowered the book so they all could see, and for a long moment nothing happened. Then, the book seemed to glow, and more words appeared on the page, the writing elegant.

_Welcome, Daughter of Gabrielle._

"Thank you?" Schuyler said hesitantly, and they watched tensely but the book said nothing further.



"Will you help us?" Mimi asked, and more flowery script appeared.

_I will help the Daughter of Gabrielle. What do you wish to know?_

"Um, what are you?" Schuyler asked, and the book didn't respond.

"She said, what are you?" Mimi demanded loudly, and if he hadn't known ink was emotionless Jack would have sworn the words seemed ticked off.

_That is unimportant, however, since the Daughter of Gabrielle asks, I will tell you. I was designed by your mother to help you and your sister protect Lucifer's Bane. _

"So Bliss really is my sister." Schuyler whispered, and the book stayed blank. Maybe it thought she was being redundant.

"What does Lucifer want with the jewel?" Jack asked, and the book seemed to hesitate before it replied, its words even stuffier than before.

_Do you mind if others speak for you, Daughter of Gabrielle?_

"No, I don't mind." Schuyler said, at the same time Mimi snapped,

"Oh, what difference does it make?"

_Very well, _the book replied, and now Jack knew it was offended.

"It figures that we'd get the book with an attitude," Oliver muttered, but apparently the book overheard, as it deigned to respond.

_Was that a question? _

"No," Jack said impatiently. "Tell us what Lucifer wants with the jewel."

_Didn't anyone ever teach you manners?_

Jack threw up his hands in exasperation, but Mimi nudged him and he tightened his hands into fists but refrained from striking the book.

"Would you _please_ tell us what Lucifer wants with the jewel?" he said through clenched teeth.

_I couldn't say_

"Well then what good are you?" Dylan demanded.

_As I was saying before I was so __**rudely**__ interrupted, I couldn't say for sure, but if I had to venture a guess, I would say he wants to use it in the Resurrection Spell. _

"What's the Resurrection Spell?" Schuyler asked softly.

_It's an ancient ritual,_



"Gotta love those," Dylan muttered, before the others quickly shushed him.

_It's an ancient ritual used for resurrecting one who has died or who is in a state of limbo, like your friend Lucifer._

"He's not our friend." Jack said too quickly, looking down and blushing as the others looked at him curiously.

"Not _anymore_," Oliver said under his breath, earning himself an elbow in the gut from Schuyler.

"What do you mean, a state of limbo?" Dylan asked.

_When Michael struck Lucifer with his sword, he did not kill him—such beings cannot be killed, at least not in the conventional sense—but he was wounded badly. So badly, in fact, that for centuries he did nothing but exist, barely, as a shadow of his former self. Only in the past decade has he started to regain his former power, but in order to reach his full potential, I believe he needs someone to complete the Resurrection Spell to restore him completely_

"Gabrielle" Jack whispered_._

"What is it?" Mimi asked, frowning at her brother. She could sense his disquiet, but couldn't pinpoint the source.

"That's why he's started to regain his power. Think about it. Gabrielle, one of the two most powerful Angels, has been comatose and inactive for the past fifteen years. With her gone, some of the protection against his return must have disappeared."

"_Great_," muttered Oliver, while Schuyler sighed and looked despondent.

"So what does he need for this spell, outside of the jewel?" Dylan asked. The answer came quickly, and the words made their blood freeze.

_Two sacrifices: a Red Blood, and a Blue Blood. The four Angels of the Apocalypse. And the blood of the Uncorrupted. If he acquires all of these ingredients, plus the Rose of Lucifer, he will fulfill the requirements of the spell and return once again to full power._

There was a pause while they all stared in horror, and the book apparently decided they needed guidance.

_I would strongly suggest you not let that happen. _

"No, really?" Dylan said sarcastically, scowling fiercely at the book.

"It may already be too late." Jack said grimly, and they all turned to look at him.

"What do you mean?" Schuyler asked, shivering at his tone.



"He's already got half the ingredients right here." Mimi said softly, and for a moment she looked tired and old. "Two Angels of the Apocalypse, a Red Blood, a Blue Blood, and the Rose of Lucifer. We've practically handed him the spell on a platter."

"That's not all we've handed him." said Oliver, and his tone of voice made them all look up. As they looked on, he raised a shaking arm and pointed at Schuyler. "The two sacrifices, half the Angels of the Apocalypse, the jewel, _and the blood of the Uncorrupted._"

"Mayday, Captain, Mayday." Dylan said quietly, as Schuyler stared down at her hands, unbelieving. The blood of the Uncorrupted. It flowed in her veins, just as surely as her human blood. And the greatest evil ever known to man wanted it.

"Who are the other two Apocalyptic Angels? Is there any way we could contact them or something, and make sure they know to stay away from Lucifer?"

Jack shook his head, and Mimi barked a laugh. "Stay away from him? They'll probably run to him with open arms. And if we tried to contact them, all that would happen would be a fight to the death, between them and Jack and I."

"Who are they? And why do they hate you so much?" Schuyler asked.

"Their angelic names are Semael and Mephistopheles." Jack said, his tone hushed as if he feared someone—or something—appearing as he spoke those names. "And they hate us because we turned from out dark duty and joined the Blue Bloods."

"The four of us were unstoppable, back in the day," Mimi said casually, as if she were speaking about old college friends. "Death, War, Destruction, and Famine."

"The Greater and the Lesser pair." Schuyler supplied, gesturing towards the twins as she said the first.

"How did you know about that?" Jack asked, surprised.

"Lawrence." Schuyler said simply, while Jack looked impressed and Mimi suspicious. "They became the first Silver Bloods, right?"

"Unfortunately for us," said Mimi dryly, shaking her head and scowling.

Jack coughed indelicately. "They have a, shall we say, vendetta against Mimi and myself."

"A vendetta?" Schuyler asked hesitantly.

"They want us obliterated. Is that clear enough?" Mimi said.

"Crystal." Oliver said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"So you don't know who they are in this life?" Dylan asked.

"Don't know, and don't want to know." Mimi said firmly, shuddering at the thought.



"It might help us, if we knew where they were, so we'd know better how to keep the jewel from Lucifer." Dylan prodded.

"Dylan, if you want to go searching for Semael and Mephistopheles, that's your prerogative." Mimi said, frowning. "But before you go, write down your next of kin, so we'll know where to send the body—or whatever's left of it."

"Listen," Jack said, making sure they were all looking at him before speaking. "The only thing you'll find if you go searching for those two is a whole lot of pain and death."

"Oh, come on, they're not _that_ bad." They all spun around slipping in the snow as they swung to look up at the railing. A Silver Blood perched casually behind the five teens, grinning at them viciously with rows of serrated, bloody teeth. Before any of them could gather their wits enough to move, it dove forward and plucked the book off the ground, shoving Schuyler and Oliver over as it dashed for the fire escape.

"Catch him!" Jack cried, leaping to his feet after the monster.

"Watch out, it brought friends." Dylan said warily, peering over the railing into the parking lot.

They all scrambled up to look, gasping in horror as they saw the dozen or more Silver Bloods swarming the motel grounds. Their friend bounded down the stairs, and pointed up at them with a cruelly curved hand. All the Silver Bloods turned to look, letting out howls of rage as they started for the Blue Bloods.

"We've got to get out of here!" Schuyler cried, and Jack nodded grimly.

"Schuyler, Oliver, Dylan, go into the room. Get Bliss, and go out the back. We'll meet you on the other side of the motel. Just be ready to run." They hesitate for only a moment before scrambling to obey, Dylan shooing the other two in before him as the Silver Bloods gained the stairs and started down the corridor. Jack settled into a fighting stance and looked at his sister.

_Mimi…_

_Don't even go there, Jack. I won't leave you again._

_You didn't—_

_Less talking, more fighting!_ Mimi demanded, as the first Silver Bloods reached them, leaping for the twins with fangs bared and claws raised.

Mimi and Jack didn't even think as they went through the motions of the fight, ducking and dodging, weaving and throwing blows of their own at rapid speeds. They fought back to back, protecting each other from any stray punches.

Only the figure in the shadows of the motel parking lot was treated to their performance, and his eyes widened in appreciation as he watched the two ancient warriors take down one opponent after another, their movements perfectly aligned and coordinated. It really was a shame he had to kill them.

**I'm sorry. I really am. Unfortunately, my Muse decided to go on a five-month vacation, leaving me alone and uninspired. The good news is, now it's summer, so hopefully my Muse is here to stay for a while. I hope you enjoyed this (extra-long) chapter, and don't hate me too much for leaving you on such a cliffie—I'll resolve it as soon as possible, I promise. **

**BTW, I'm sure you noticed I started naming my chapters. There's no real deep reason behind this, other than I got tired of seeing Redefinitions 8, 9, 10… you get the idea. **

**Please, let me hear from you—honestly, reviews are what inspire and motivate me to keep plugging out this story. I know I don't deserve it, but I'd love to know what you think so far. Even if all you want to do is scream at me for abandoning you for so long, I'd still love to hear it. Thanks!**


	19. Fight or Flight

**Melissa de la Cruz owns the Blue Bloods.**

**IMPORTANT NOTES: First, I tried to insert lines to show when one scene ended and another began, but it might not have worked, so if you get to a place where the story seems to jump randomly, it's probably because there was supposed to be a break.**

**Second, I'm pretty sure I stated this once already, but I'll reiterate, because I've gotten a couple of notes about it. While I fully respect and love MLDC's canon, for the purposes of my story I have chosen to change a few details. Specifically, in **_**Redefinition**_**, Blue Bloods can be hurt, and they can be killed (under certain circumstances). Just so we're clear on that. Personally, I think a story's more dramatic with a little bloodshed ;)**

Dylan slammed the door behind him and threw the lock as Schuyler and Oliver scrambled through the darkened bedroom, stumbling over the furniture as they raced for the back room. Dylan paused only to grab Bliss's coat and shoes, fumbling in the darkness as his vision adjusted, before joining them in the back bedroom and firmly shutting the door.

Bliss sat up in bed, disoriented and confused. "Dylan? Sky? What's going on?!" she cried, looking around wildly.

"Silver Blood." Dylan said grimly as he helped her sit up. "We've got to get out of here, now!"

"Where are—"

"They're holding off the Silver Bloods in the parking lot. They're kind of outnumbered, so we should really move it." Schuyler propped a chair against the door, listening nervously for sounds from the front room. If the Silver Bloods broke through the front door, they were toast. A part of her was sick with worry for Jack, and, if she was honest with herself, Mimi too, but she put that part aside and forced herself to focus.

"They're outnumbered?" Bliss demanded as she hurriedly pulled on her coat and shoes. "I thought you said there was only one!"

"Did I imply that?" Dylan said as he opened the window. "Sorry. My bad. Try like a dozen."

"What are you doing?" Oliver demanded, his teeth chattering as an icy breeze whipped through the open window. "This is so not the time to invest in central air conditioning!"

"We have to get out of here." Dylan said tensely. "This is the only way."

Oliver looked at the window, then at Dylan, and back to the window again. He groaned. "Oh you have GOT to be kidding me." Tonight was really not his night.

"It's two stories up!" Bliss said, as she and Schuyler joined the boys at the window. "How are we supposed to—"

"This really isn't the time to try and educate you in all the things the Committee's been lying to you about, but your body's built to do it. Just lower yourself out and—" Dylan looked nervously out the window as his ultra-sensitive hearing picked up the sounds of someone moving in the snow. "On second thought…"

"On second thought what?" Oliver demanded impatiently. His ankle still hurt from the first time a vampire had thrown him out a window tonight. If he absolutely had to repeat the experience, he wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. "Let's just do this!"

"There's a welcoming committee," Dylan said, grimly watching the two Silver Bloods circling beneath them. He hoped that didn't mean Jack and Mimi were dead or turned. As much as he didn't care for the twins, he didn't really want anything to happen to them, especially since they were the best chance the rest of them had at getting out of here with all their limbs intact. "We'll have to figure out another—"

"I can take them."

They all turned to look at Schuyler, who met their skeptical gazes as firmly as possible.

"Schuyler, you're crazy!" Bliss cried. "There's no way—"

"No. No way." Dylan said firmly. "We'll figure something else out."

Only Oliver said nothing, his eyes uneasy as he assessed Schuyler.

"Ollie, you know I can take them." she said softly, her eyes locked on his, ignoring Dylan and Bliss. "I beat Jack and Mimi, and they're stronger and smarter than five Silver Bloods. I can take these two."

"It's not the same thing, Sky." Oliver said, biting his lip. "Mimi and Jack weren't trying to kill you. Maybe they were holding back—"

"They weren't holding back." Schuyler said firmly. She had bruises all down her ribcage to prove just how much they hadn't been holding back. "I can do it. There is no other way. I'll be fine, Ollie, I promise. Besides, it's payback. You were going to sacrifice yourself for me, so I'll—"

"Would you get over it!" Oliver snarled, and Bliss raised an eyebrow, surprised. She didn't think she'd ever heard Oliver raise his voice to Schuyler. "This isn't a competition, Schuyler, and it isn't a game! People could die! YOU could die! And you're worried about evening the score?"

"Guys," Dylan started to interrupt, then broke off as he heard a sound in the front room. Something heavy had smashed against the front door. They all froze for a moment, and then the noise came again, along with the distinct sound of wood splintering.

"No choice." Schuyler said, trying to control her shaking limbs. Was she really going to do this? "I'm going. Give me a few seconds to draw them away, then get out of here! Head for the road. I'll meet you when I'm done."

"Schuyler—"

"Wait—"

"I'm doing this." she said, already shoving past them to the window. Behind her the door to the bedroom shuddered. She had scrambled up on the window sill when she felt someone grab her arm. She turned impatiently to find Oliver watching her, concern written in his hazel eyes.

"Sky…"

She leaned over and kissed him firmly, her lips pressing hard against his as his eyes widened in surprise. Before he could do anything, she pulled back and shook herself free of his arm.

"Meet me at the road," Schuyler said, and then she jumped.

_Now what, Einstein? _Mimi asked her brother silently, saving her breath for fighting. She ducked a punch from one Silver Blood, then grabbed its outstretched arm and threw it into its fellow. Two down, two million—or so it seemed—to go.

_We've got to get to the car_, Jack replied as he picked up a Silver Blood by the front of its dirty shirt and threw it bodily over the railing. Another leapt on his back and he heaved it forward, smashing its skull against the railing with a sickening crunch.

"Brilliant!" Mimi said sarcastically, elbowing a Silver Blood in the gut as it tried to grab her hair, "Why didn't _I _think of that."

Jack spared half a second to roll his eyes at her, then leapt elegantly onto the railing, carelessly kicking a Silver Blood in the head as it tried to grab his feet. "Anytime you're ready, Madeleine." he said, gallantly holding out a hand for his sister.

The gesture was ruined somewhat when he was forced to turn his outstretched hand into a fist and swat a Silver Blood, but Mimi quickly knocked the snarling creature aside and scrambled up somewhat less gracefully to join her brother.

"What is it they always say in those skydiving films before they go over a cliff?" Mimi wondered as she and Jack carelessly and effortlessly blocked more attacks from the Silver Bloods.

"Geronimo?" Jack asked, but Mimi didn't wait for his reply. Instead, she bounded off the two story balcony, landing easily in the snowy parking lot of the motel. Jack resisted the urge to roll his eyes again and leapt after her, following her fast sprint to the car as they ducked and dodged around the seemingly endless supply of Silver Bloods.

Behind them, Jack could hear the Silver Bloods pounding down the motel room door, and he said a silent prayer that Dylan, Schuyler, and Oliver had already escaped with Bliss out the back. The best way to help them was to get their quickest—and only—means of transportation to the back of the motel as soon as possible.

Mimi already had the keys to the Lincoln out and was starting the engine as Jack dove in the passenger side and slammed the door shut in a Silver Blood's face. Mimi flipped on the headlights and threw the car into reverse, but then she suddenly froze as a shape was illuminated—briefly—in the edge of the headlights.

"What is it?" Jack demanded impatiently. "Get going, Mimi." Mimi nodded absently in reply and quickly backed out of the parking space, tires squealing in the snow. She didn't even look up as Silver Bloods bounced left and right off the hood of the car, creating oddly shaped dents that would be difficult to explain.

"Mimi?" Jack asked, looking sideways at her. Her face was white, and her hands were shaking as she grasped the steering wheel. "Mimi? What's wrong?"

"Did you see him?" she whispered, eyes wide in the dim morning light. Jack shook his head at the non sequitur.

"See who?"

Mimi looked up sharply, as if his voice had shaken her out of whatever spell she had fallen under, and shook her head once.

"Nothing. I must have imagined it." she swung the car around the block, approaching the narrow patch of trees at the back of the motel. She glanced over her shoulder once, looking for something that Jack clearly couldn't see. "It's just…in the headlights of the car. For one second, I could have sworn I saw…"

"What, Mimi?" Jack said, annoyance creeping into his tone. He wasn't really annoyed with his sister, but Mimi was frightened, and that frightened him. Nothing ever scared Mimi, or if it did, she hid it behind a show of boldness and false—but comforting—bravado. For her to actually show fear, something must have really spooked her, but for the life of him Jack couldn't imagine what.

"Kingsley." Mimi said so softly Jack had to strain to hear her. "I thought I saw Kingsley Martin."

Jack felt a deep shudder course through him, and as Mimi parked illegally next to the curb, he had to quell the deep impulse he felt to tell her to keep driving into the night, as fast and as far as they could get from this place.

Schuyler hit the ground with her knees bent, so her body absorbed the shock of her jump. She'd purposely aimed herself to land a few feet behind the Silver Bloods. She didn't think it would give her the element of surprise—they'd watched her jump, after all—but it gave her a few precious seconds to settle into a fighting stance as they spun around to face her.

Instead of attacking instantly, the Silver Bloods circled her slowly, growling low under their breath. Schuyler forced herself to stay still, her feet planted and her arms raised in front of her at chest level. She would not make the first move.

Never before had she been in a position to study the Silver Bloods in such close detail, and if given the option she would have refused the honor. They were odious, hulking masses of grayish-silver flesh, light on their feet despite their size. Each had lank, dark hair that half obscured their face, and judging by the look and the smell, it hadn't been washed anytime this century. But the worst was the eyes.

Dark red and glowing, they shone out of the Silver Bloods' faces with a kind of grotesque beauty that was such a contrast to the rest of their appearance. A small silver pupil lay at the center of each eye, and as Schuyler watched they focused dead on her. These eyes were intelligent, cold, and flat with purpose. These were not the eyes of a dumb beast or animal. These were the eyes of fallen angels.

Caught up in her sick fascination, Schuyler realized too late that one of the Silver Bloods had circled behind her, while the other faced her head on, trapping her between them. She didn't dare turn around to face the one behind her, certain that the second she did both would grab her and hold her down.

Instead, she focused all her attention on the monster before her, relying on her hearing to warn her if the other one moved.

Sure enough, her extra-sensitive hearing picked up the sound of heavy feet crunching softly in the snow. At the same moment, the Silver Blood facing her snarled and lunged for her. Schuyler ducked and twisted, rolling lightly to the side. She watched as the two Silver Bloods collided with each other, bumbling in the snow as they failed to grab her. Schuyler allowed herself a tiny smile of satisfaction. She might not be as big or as strong as the Silver Bloods, but she was faster.

Crouched in the snow, Schuyler waited until one of the Silver Bloods lunged for her, and dodged easily out of its path so it crashed into a tree. Darting quickly away, she came up behind the second Silver Blood and placed a well-aimed kick in the back of its legs, driving it to its knees.

She scrambled quickly onto its back, wrapping her arms as tightly as she could around its neck. Schuyler realized she'd made a mistake when it bucked like a horse, almost throwing her free as it snarled and reached for her. Lunging madly forward, she got a hand up to its face and jammed her fingers in its eyes.

This time it did throw her free as it howled in agony and swung in mad circles, trying to reach the source of its pain. Schuyler landed on her feet again, feeling slightly more cocky. While it was not a particularly good idea to approach a mad, raving, Silver Blood she was fairly certain she'd at least temporarily put the monster out of commission.

Spinning quickly to look for the other one, Schuyler heard a crunch in the snow behind her and a soft curse. She turned to look, and her eyes widened in horror as she saw Bliss, Oliver, and Dylan standing only a few feet away from where they'd clearly landed in the snow. Bliss had apparently slipped on the wet ground, and her fall had prompted the swearing.

"Ollie, DUCK!" Schuyler yelled, and the second Silver Blood's hand narrowly missed taking off Oliver's head. Schuyler saw the flash of headlights behind her as she skirted around her friends and grabbed the Silver Blood's arm, heaving with all her strength.

The other three skirted out of her way and towards the road as Schuyler lunged at the fallen Silver Blood, kicking it in the head with her combat boots. The thing groaned and slid to the ground again, and Schuyler turned away, certain she had taken care of it, at least temporarily.

She was unprepared for the beast to rear up behind her and grab her around the waist with thick, corded arms, dragging her to the ground. She tried to scream for Oliver or Dylan, but it quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.

Steeling herself for what she was about to do, Schuyler extended her fangs and chomped down on the Silver Blood's fingers as hard as she could. She quickly let go as soon as the hand loosened—she did not want to swallow any of its blood.

She writhed like a snake in its grasp, fighting to get free as it tried to get a better grip on the petite girl. Suddenly, Schuyler stopped fighting, falling completely limp in its arms. The move startled the Silver Blood, and it loosened its grip just enough for Schuyler to scramble free.

She didn't even bother trying to face it again, just sprinted for the road as fast as she could. With her vampire strength, she easily outdistanced the Silver Blood, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the Lincoln, Jack and Bliss watching anxiously out the windows.

Bliss threw the door open when she saw Schuyler coming, and she tumbled into the back seat, throwing herself on Oliver and Dylan.

"Go, go, go!" Bliss cried as she slammed the door. The Silver Blood was racing towards them, its mouth open in a howl of rage. Schuyler pressed her face to the carpeted bottom of the car as Mimi floored it and the car flew down the street at speeds that were definitely not legal in a suburban area.

Mimi kept up the fast pace for about fifteen minutes, until she was absolutely positive that they'd lost the Silver Bloods. Next to her, Jack stared moodily out the window watching the sun slowly rise, while in the back Bliss, Sky, Oliver, and Dylan were squished together on a bench seat intended for three.

Finally, Schuyler spoke up, catching Mimi's eye in the rearview mirror while Oliver wrapped a piece of his shirt around her injured hand. "Where are we going?"

"I don't know," Mimi said finally, prompting the rest of them to look up at her. "What?" she snapped, feeling irritable and uneasy, "you think 'cause I'm driving I have a clue about what we should be doing? We're screwed, in case you didn't notice."

"What happened back there?" Bliss asked. "What were you all doing when the Silver Bloods showed up?"

"We were looking at your dad's book," said Dylan, his eyes half open as he rested his head against the seat. Of the six of them, he had gotten the least sleep last night. "it, it…" he smothered a yawn. "It talked to us."

"It _talked_ to you?"

"Not talked so much as wrote," Oliver offered, tying off the bandage on Schuyler's hand with a neat knot. "It was quite rude, too." he added as an afterthought. Sitting next to him, Schuyler could see his eyelids jumping. They were all so tired, they bordered on hyper.

"So what did it say….or write…or whatever," Bliss asked, running her fingers subconsciously over her coat pocket, where the jewel rested like a lead anvil.

"It said that Lucifer wants it to return to power and bring about the end of the world." Mimi said bluntly. There was a shocked pause. "So, like I said before, we're screwed. More to the point, why don't you ask your boyfriend about the little secret he's been keeping from you?"

All eyes turned to Dylan, who sat up reluctantly, shoving his hair out of his eyes. "Thanks, Mimi." he said sarcastically, while Bliss looked at him expectantly.

"It's just because I love you," Mimi said, her voice sickly sweet. Schuyler distinctly heard Jack smother a laugh from the front seat, and she grinned despite herself. Fighting with the Silver Bloods had taken a lot out of her, and she felt almost silly with the adrenaline rush.

"That's my job…I think," Bliss said uncertainly, turning so her face was inches from her boyfriend's. "Dylan?"

"It's, ah, well it's complicated, but in short, Lucifer was coming after you and Schuyler because he thought one of you had the jewel, and he decided to focus on you, because he thought you were the more likely candidate."

"More likely candidate for what?" Bliss asked, looking tense and frightened. "His personal secretary?"

"More like…the daughter of Gabrielle." Dylan mumbled, saying it quickly under his breath and looking up guiltily at Bliss.

"What? Why would…oh my god. The picture."

"Exactly." said Jack, turning around in the front to look at them. Since one of his eyes was almost swollen shut, it was more of a squint than a look.

"Wait…what picture?" Schuyler asked. She hadn't thought to ask why Dylan had been so certain Bliss was her sister, so caught up was she in everything else that had been going on.

"I found this old photograph in my closet," Bliss said. "It's of my father and your mom…I guess my mom, too. I was going to ask you about it, because I thought, well, I thought something like this might be true."

"So we really are sisters." Schuyler said softly, leaning over Oliver to look Bliss in the eye.

"Yeah, I guess we are," Bliss said, her voice just as hushed. Hesitantly, she reached out her hand, and Schuyler took it, squeezing her palm tightly. The last twenty four hours had been an emotional roller coaster, with a lot of tension between the six teens. This moment, holding Bliss's hand, more than made up for all of the danger and the exhaustion that she could feel slowly dragging her under.

"That's pretty cool," Oliver said, grinning at them. He paused and thought. "Although I have to throw in, having a sister? So not all it's cracked up to be."

"I'll say," Jack said, and they all laughed. Although Schuyler couldn't see her face, she would have bet her friendship with Oliver that Mimi was rolling her eyes.

"As touching as this is," Mimi said, urgency creeping into her tone under the sarcasm, "can someone PLEASE tell me where we're going?"

"Let's go back to the city," Jack said.

"Why?" Oliver asked, rolling his eyes when Jack frowned at him. "Sorry to interrupt your plan, Captain America, but why should we bring the jewel back to six million innocent bystanders? If Lucifer is planning something, shouldn't we make sure that the least amount of people risk injury?"

"Because," Jack said, his teeth clenched, "some of those six million people are Blue Bloods, who just happen to be powerful, ancient warriors. It _might_ be a good idea to have some of them on our side."

"That…might be a problem," Dylan said, frowning as he thought. "They don't like me very much, in case you noticed, and if you all go running to the Committee with everything I just told you, best case scenario they'll laugh in your faces and worst case they'll throw you in jail for aiding and abetting a wanted criminal."

"Who's that?" Oliver asked, and they all looked at him incredulously. A look dawned on his face. "Oh, right."

"How _have_ you survived this long?" Mimi wondered, shaking her head in disbelief. What Schuyler saw in him, she couldn't say.

"I think we can convince them." Schuyler said, trying to sound firm. "We'll tell them how the Silver Bloods took the book, and we'll show them the Llewellyns' apartment. Plus," she said, shooting an uneasy glance at the front seat, "Charles Force isn't Regis anymore, my grandfather is. He already believes there's a threat, so he'll listen to us, and I bet some of the others will, too."

"Besides, this is…this is too much for just us," Mimi said, and they all heard the uncharacteristically serious tone in her voice. "Jack and I are good, but we're not _that_ good. We were lucky to get out of there."

"It was pretty bad, wasn't it." Schuyler said softly, and they were all silent for a minute as they contemplated the fact that they could have easily been killed. Beneath each person's sarcasm or humor, as their nature dictated, lay a deep dread and fear as to what the new day would bring. Mimi was right. They had been lucky to get out of there alive.

"So we head back to the city," Oliver said heavily, and Jack nodded in agreement before turning around and slumping down in his seat. As much as Jack despised vampire clichés, right now a nice, dark coffin was sounding awfully appealing, rather than trying to sleep on a hard car seat with the rising sun glaring him in the eye.

"Freeway entrance is coming up in a mile," Mimi said. "I'll drive for another half hour, then I need someone else to take over. I'm—" she was unsuccessful in suppressing a yawn "tired." She tossed her head, trying to shake herself a wake. "A soft bed sounds SO nice right now."

"Pillows," Schuyler murmured sleepily.

"A hot shower," Bliss offered.

"A shower, period." Oliver said. "Ooh, and some pancakes and orange juice."

"Blood," Jack mumbled from the front seat.

"I'll pass on that, thanks." Oliver said, while Schuyler eyed him hungrily. "Later," he breathed to her, quiet enough that he hoped the others hadn't heard him. Although who was he kidding? They were vampires. They could hear him breathe, for crying out loud.

"A face mask," Mimi said, sighing. This trip was so going to screw up her epidermal spa treatment.

"Makeup," Bliss agreed. They glanced at each other in the rearview mirror.

"Hairdryer," they said together. Half asleep with her eyes closed, her head resting on Oliver's shoulder, Schuyler smiled. Sister or not, there were some things about Bliss—and Mimi for that matter—that she would never understand.

Schuyler had been asleep for less than five minutes when the car jolted so violently that she was thrown awake, banging the top of her head on Oliver's chin as she sat up. Next to her, Dylan and Bliss had fallen to the floor in a tangled heap, while in the front Jack had sat up abruptly in his seat, his hair a tangled blond nest.

Schuyler leaned forward, trying to figure out what had hit them—maybe Mimi had fallen asleep at the wheel?—when Mimi suddenly fishtailed the car, swinging it 180 degrees and throwing her passengers to the floor.

"What the hell?" Dylan demanded as he tried pull himself back onto the seat. He was unsuccessful as Mimi hit the gas, sending the car flying back in the direction they'd come.

"Mimi, what—" Jack started.

"Silver Bloods." Mimi said shortly, her shoulders hunched forward as she focused intently on the road. "Like three cars' worth of them. They were blocking the freeway entrance, and now they're following us."

Schuyler scrambled up on the seat to look out the back window, and sure enough she could see three black Lexus SUVs trailing them down the road. "Guess they travel in style," she muttered to no one.

"This street's too narrow," Jack said tersely as they headed back through a neighborhood. "You've got to get off."

"Not helping," Mimi muttered, swerving dangerously close to the cars parked on either side of the road.

"There's nowhere to go!" Oliver cried.

"Not helping!" Mimi's eyes darting up to check the pursuing SUVs. Sure enough, they'd gotten closer. "Damn sports models," she said to herself.

"Freeway entrance in half a mile," Dylan said, looking out the window.

"That's westbound!" Jack said, watching the houses fly past them. He prayed no one came out to get the early morning paper. "We need eastbound."

"No choice," Schuyler said tersely. "There's no way we can lose them here. We're only putting innocent people in danger."

"But…"

"I'm going for it," Mimi announced, her eyes locked on the cars behind her. She saw the freeway entrance, coming up on her left, as she finally cleared the last of the houses. She floored the Lincoln, flying up the ramp as fast as the car could go. She had a plan, or at least the vague workings of one. She sent Jack a mental picture and he raised his eyebrow next to her.

_Do you really think that will work?_ he asked silently. No need to unduly alarm the others.

_Do you have a better idea?_ Mimi shot back.

_No. _

"Go for it," he said out loud, as the first of the SUVs headed up the ramp. They were about to pass under a bridge up ahead that would suit Mimi's purposes perfectly.

"Go for what?" Oliver asked wildly, and both twins ignored him.

Mimi drove the car at a steady 85 MPH until they were right under the bridge, then abruptly slammed on the brake, throwing everyone on the floor except Jack, who'd been anticipating the move.

Throwing the wheel as hard to the left as it would go, she spun the car around again, getting as far into the shadows on the left side of the space under the bridge as she could. She had maybe ten seconds before the first car reached the bridge.

Mimi turned off the car and killed the daytime running lights, plunging them into relative silence and darkness.

"What are you doing? Are you crazy?" Dylan asked, and Mimi sushed him impatiently as the first SUV shot under the bridge…and kept going. All six of them help their breath, hardly daring to move, as the other two cars followed the first one, driving right past them. Only after a tense five minutes had gone by with no sign of them turning around did they all breathe a sigh of relief.

"Why couldn't they see that you weren't in front of them?" Schuyler wondered as Mimi restarted the car and turned so they were facing the legal direction again.

"As far as I can see, the road curves a lot up ahead," Jack said. "Hopefully it'll take them a while to notice we're not in front of them."

"Meanwhile, I for one am not going to be around when they figure that out," Mimi said briskly.

"Where are we going to go? We're on the westbound," Oliver pointed out.

Jack pointed to a sign on the side of the road. "We'll get on 83 South. It's not the most direct route to the city, but maybe that's better. They'll be less likely to think we've gone this way." He turned to look at his sister. "How are you doing? Do you want someone else to take over driving?"

"Actually, I'm quite wide awake after that, for some reason," Mimi said sardonically. "I'll be fine for a little while longer."

They drove for almost two hours, heavily wooded hills on their left and right. Except for signs indicated exits for small cities and towns, they saw no other signs of humanity. For Mimi, Schuyler, Jack and Oliver, who had spent their whole lives in Manhattan, it was quite a sight to see more than fifty miles of endless rows of trees.

Forty five minutes into the trip, Mimi had pulled over and Bliss had taken over driving. Technically, she only had her Learner's Permit, but there was no one else on the road and of the six of them, she had gotten the most sleep the night before.

Bliss was feeling pretty good about herself and her driving when she heard the car start to rumble ominously midway through the second hour. She glanced to her left, but Oliver was sound asleep in the passenger's seat. In the back, Mimi, Schuyler, Jack and Dylan were a pile of tangled limbs. No help there.

She gripped the wheel nervously, trying to catch a glimpse of the tires in her mirrors. No such luck. Besides, she wouldn't even know what to look for. Then she glanced at the gas gauge. The needle was hanging just below empty.

"Oh, that cannot be good," she muttered, biting her lip nervously. It figured they were in a long stretch with no signs for a town or even a village.

The car rolled another fifteen yards before coming to a halt on the side of the road. Bliss glanced to her left, where a sheer cliff rose several feet into the air, and then to her right, where there lay yet another wooded hill, covered with pine trees.

"Guys?" she said nervously when the silence became too much. "Guys!" she said louder, when none of them responded. With muffled curses and groans they all sat up, wiping the sleep out of their eyes.

"Why'd ya stop?" Mimi demanded, her words mumbled through a yawn. They all got out to stretch, moving stiff limbs, as Bliss explained about the gas.

Squinting in the sunlight, Jack frowned as he looked down at her. "But that's impossible, the tank was full when we left my dad's house last night. We've only driven about five hours total, you should have at least half a tank left."

Bliss shook her head, as confused as he was. "I don't know what happened. The car started rumbling, and then it just sort of rolled to a stop."

"Guys," Dylan said, and something in his tone made them all turn to him. "This was no accident."

"What do you mean?" Schuyler asked nervously. His grim look gave her a bad feeling.

"Someone punctured the gas tank." Dylan said, kneeling next to the car and peeing underneath. "It's a little one, but it was done on purpose for sure. We've been leaking gas for miles now."

"They must have done it right before we left the motel, or we never would have made it this far," Oliver reasoned.

"I didn't know Silver Bloods were smart enough to do something like this," Bliss said, shaking her head in disbelief. At least the sun was out, so it wasn't as cold as it had been yesterday.

"They're not, generally." Dylan said, frowning thoughtfully. "Someone must have ordered them to do it." Out of the corner of her eye, Schuyler saw Jack shoot Mimi a look, and Mimi shook her head subtly in reply. Schuyler wondered what they were saying to each other. If they had seen something, they clearly didn't want everyone else to know.

"Great, Silver Bloods with a plan." Oliver said glumly.

"Well," said Bliss, trying to look on the bright side, "at least it's warm enough out that the snow seems to melting." There was a pause, and they all stared at her.

"Yeah, that's just what we need," Mimi said, her voice heavy with sarcasm. "an avalanche on top of all our other problems."

**Another chapter in the bag, yeah! (I'd apologize for it being late, but at this point I think it's redundant.) The good news is, we're finally getting to the part of the story which contains the scenes that I first imagined when I started writing. Hopefully, that means that the next chapters will come quicker, because I already have parts of them written. All I can say is, hang tight cause it's about to get a lot more exciting!**

**In addition to thanking everyone for their patience and reviews, I need to thank you all for your support on the last two chapters. I know they were heavy on talking and information without a lot of action. I hope this chapter somewhat makes up for it, and I apologize if the last chapters got a little boring. Trust me, they're VERY important for later. Drop me a line; I'd love to know what you think. Thanks! **


	20. Face Value

**Melissa de la Cruz owns everything**

**SUPER IMPORTANT NOTE!!!**

**Like I'm sure many of you have already done, I just finished reading Revelations. (Loved it, BTW.) I want to take this opportunity to stake clearly and unequivocally that NOTHING that happens or is established as canon in Revelations will affect the outcome of this story. I had the entire story outlined long before Revelations ever came out, and I am absolutely not going to change it now. So, any similarities are completely coincidental, and any blatant deviances are here to stay. Just wanted everyone to understand clearly that this story has nothing to do with anything in Revelations. **

About twenty yards from the road, they came upon a clearing in the trees with a few logs lying on their sides surrounding a roughly made fire pit in the dirt. Schuyler frowned, looking at the circle of stones. "You don't think there's someone else out here, do you?" she asked.

Dylan shook his head. "Doubtful. Look how much dirt and snow are in that fire pit. I don't think anyone's been here for months."

"So how did it get here in the first place?" Oliver wondered. Like the twins and Schuyler, he was walking around with his head tilted up, looking at the trees in wonderment. Outside of Central Park, he'd never seen anything like this in his life.

Dylan shrugged, unconcerned. "In the fall, this area's big for deer hunting, I think."

Bliss shook her head at him, amused and impressed. "How do you know so much?"

He shrugged again, black hair falling elegantly over his thin face. "You stick around long enough, you just kind of pick things up, you know?"

She laughed lightly, her eyes catching and holding his own. "Not really, but I'll take your word for it." They stared at each other for a few moments, the intensity and electricity building between them, when Jack abruptly shattered the moment by breaking a stick in half with a snap.

"We should build a fire until someone comes. I know it's not snowing, and it's certainly warmer than it was last night, but we obviously don't know what the weather's going to do next, so we should keep a fire going just in case."

Oliver nodded, climbing to his feet from where he'd been re-tying his boot. "I'll go get some wood."

Dylan turned to look at him over one shoulder. "Don't go too far. It's really easy to get lost in these woods."

"Yes, mother." Oliver said, rolling his eyes and grinning lightly at his friend. Dylan stuck out his tongue in retaliation, a threat which admittedly did little to deter Oliver's humorous mood.

"Don't look for logs—you won't find anything small enough to carry. Just get some big branches. Look for white birch—the off-white bark with dark stripes. It burns even when it's wet."

Oliver saluted him before turning and slipping easily into the trees. They could hear him shuffling around in the underbrush, and Schuyler kept a finely tuned ear turned towards the sound. Nothing good could come out of Oliver being lost in the vast woodlands of Western New York. In the meantime, she faced Jack, watching him lay out the blankets from the car on the ground.

"Do you really think someone will come find us?" she asked.

In response, Jack turned to his sister, who reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out two slim yellow wires, each about the length of a pencil. Dylan frowned thoughtfully.

"You hotwired the GPS?" he asked, looking impressed. "Good idea."

"More like un-hotwired," Mimi said, looking elegantly bored as she stuffed the wires back into her pocket. Bliss looked from one to the other, completely puzzled.

"How does that help us, exactly? Don't we want to know where we are?"

Jack shook his head, running a tired hand over his face. He needed a shower, a shave, some hot blood, and a warm bed, preferably in that order. "It doesn't matter if we know where we are. GPS Systems operate through a computer. While the GPS is hooked up, as long as the car is on, the computer stores your location. If you take out the wires while the car is still running, your current location will be the last place stored in the computer." 

"And?" Schuyler said. She thought Bliss was right—none of this helped them, and now they didn't even know where they were.

"And, we've been gone for almost twenty four hours. You know my father is looking for us right now." Mimi said. "He'll notice the car is gone, and he'll know to check the location of the GPS. Since it's going to show that the last place it was used was Middleofnowheresville, New York, he'll come right here rather than retracing all our stops."

"Great. Charles Force is coming. Can't wait." Dylan said glumly, sitting down on one of the logs. Jack shot him a look that might have been sympathetic, and came over to stand by Dylan and the girls.

"We'll defend you, and we'll make them see the truth." he said softly. "They'll realize that you're the only reason the Silver Bloods don't have the jewel already, and they'll apologize."

"Besides," Mimi said, pulling her hair out of her face with a scrunchie, "the most important thing right now is to get Lucifer's Bane back to the people who can protect it—the Committee and the Regis."

"Gee, Mimi, I'm sure that makes him feel swell." They all turned to look as Oliver came up behind them, his arms devoid of any sort of wood.

Dylan frowned up at his friend, working his hand out of Bliss's so he could shield his eyes from the afternoon sun. "Why didn't you gather any fire wood?" he asked, looking confused.

Oliver shrugged elegantly. "Couldn't find any."

Mimi snorted. "How hard did you look?"

"Obviously not very," Jack replied, rolling his eyes. Oliver turned to look at him, his expression sharp and nasty.

"Bite me, Force." He said, his face curled into a little sneer. They all stopped moving around to stay warm and turned to look at Oliver, each teen's expression incredulous.

"What did you say?" Jack asked, his voice soft with an undertone of steel. Schuyler stared at Oliver, disbelieving. Sure, he was tired and hungry, but they all were. Was he upset that he'd had to gather firewood alone? 

"You heard me."

"Look, Oliver," Jack said, his hands open in a peaceful gesture. "I'm not sure—I'm _really_ not sure—what I did to upset you, but---"

"Or, if you're too much of a coward," Oliver broke in, turning his gaze towards Mimi, "you can get your whore to do it for you. God knows she's done everyone else."

Schuyler's shocked gasp of "Oliver!" was lost beneath Mimi's cry of indignation and Jack's yell of fury as he grabbed the slim boy by the neck and tossed him to the ground, moving to stand over him even as Bliss and Dylan leapt to their feet.

Schuyler started forward, intent on protecting Oliver even if he was being a jerk, when to her surprise Jack stepped back, his fists clenched as he struggled to control his expression.

"That was unwarranted, and completely untrue." he said softly, breathing hard as though he'd just run a great distance. "Look, Oliver—"

"_Is _it untrue?" Oliver asked softly, his expression sly. "If it is, I wonder why you got so upset, hmm?"

"She's my sister." Jack said steadily, fighting to keep his voice even. "Of course I'm upset."

"Oh, your _sister_." Oliver said thoughtfully. "Is that what they're calling it these days?"

Schuyler heard Dylan trying to shush Bliss behind her, but apparently he was too late, because she slipped past Oliver to stand next to Jack. "What do you mean, Oliver?" she asked innocently. "Of course Mimi is Jack's sister. Stop being such a jerk."

"That's not all she is," Oliver said, shifting on the ground so both his hands were free. Jack lunged forward to grab him, but he was not quick enough to stop Oliver from making an obscene and extremely suggestive hand gesture.

Bliss blanched, jerking back as though she'd been slapped. "Mimi?" she whispered, turning to face her best friend. Mimi's eyes were dark, her face an unreadable mask as she stared at Oliver with thinly concealed hatred.

"Mimi, what's he talking about? That's not…not true, is it?"

"Bliss…" Schuyler started hesitantly, torn between wanting to explain to her newfound sister and shake Oliver until he told her what in heaven's name had gotten into him.

"Yes, it's true." Mimi said abruptly, her gaze snapping away from Oliver to look at Bliss head on. "I'm not ashamed of it and I won't deny it.

"What?" Bliss gasped, staring at Mimi as though she didn't recognize her. "Not ashamed…Mimi, that's _disgusting_."

"You don't understand," Mimi said, her voice barely more than a growl. Dylan moved to stand next to Bliss, but he did nothing to stop Mimi as she advanced slowly towards them. "You're young, and you don't have full control of your memories, so you don't understand. But," she continued, her voice quivering, with suppressed rage or tears Schuyler couldn't tell, "there is nothing disgusting about it. Don't speak about things you don't understand, Benecentia."

Bliss shut her mouth and looked down, feeling suddenly chastened, like a young girl scolded by her teacher. That word, Benecentia….she didn't know what it meant; she only knew it felt right, like it belonged to her.

"I'm sorry, Azrael." she said quietly. _Azrael? Where did that come from_? She wondered, but her train of thought was interrupted by a snort from Oliver.

"Don't apologize to her, for crying out loud! She's a freak! She's disgusting! She's perverted! She's—"

"Shut. The Fuck. Up." Jack said, crushing a fist cruelly into Oliver's windpipe. At the moment, not even Schuyler felt like stopping him.

"What's going on here?!?" They all turned to look, Jack temporarily releasing his hold on Oliver, as a very familiar voice came from across the clearing.

Five jaws dropped open in identical expressions of shock as they all looked up to see Oliver Hazard-Perry standing across the clearing, his arms loaded down with firewood.

**Forgive me. I know it's ridiculously overdue. And I know it's short. But it's a pretty good place to cut, and I'm afraid if I don't post this now then it won't be posted 'til I'm twenty-two. The next chapter will contain THE scene I had in mind when I first imagined this story. Of course, you never know how things will evolve over time, so of course it'll be a little different than I originally planned, but I'm still really, really excited. **

**Please take note of what I said at the top, and I'd love to here what you guys think is going to happen next! What's the deal with Oliver(s)? What's going on here? Who's the real villain? Ooh…so exciting!**


	21. Seventeen Against the Dealer

**Melissa de la Cruz is the brilliant creator and mother of all things Blue Bloods.**

**Ok, so this is basically the second (and more interesting) half of the chapter I posted at 3:00 this morning. I would have posted this too, but I was just too tired. Oh, and I broke my toe. Yeah, it was a strange night… **

"What the hell?"

"Oliver?"

"Who is that?" They all spoke at once, their words jumbled and lost as they overlapped. After they all stopped speaking, Bliss cut to the heart of the issue. 

"Which one is the real Oliver?"

Schuyler darted across the blackened remains of the campfire, stopping a foot in front of the boy with the pile of wood in his hand. "Jack?" She said. "Does the boy on the ground have anything on his neck?"

Jack didn't ask for an explanation, just peered quickly at the neck of the boy who lay in front of him, smirking, for all the world looking like he was laying on a beach in the Hamptons. "No."

"This is the real Oliver." Schuyler said definitively. She could see her marks clearly on his neck, and, coupled with the admittedly cute mystified expression on his face, she was sure this was her Conduit.

"Then who's this freak?" Mimi demanded, scowling at the boy on the ground. For a moment he did nothing, looking up at them and smirking, and then he turned his gaze squarely on Mimi and winked.

She flinched back as though she'd been slapped, her eyes wide with shock and disgust. "Kingsley!" she said, and they all started in surprise.

"Argento Croatus!" Jack and Dylan both cried, less than a second apart. For just a second, the façade slipped, and they glimpsed the smirking face of Kingsley Martin, before his features settled back to resemble Oliver's.

"Oopsie," he said casually, as though they were in school and they'd just caught him cheating on a test. "Guess you got me."

"Can you stop looking like me, please?" Oliver said, looking vaguely ill. Kingsley sat up with a shrug.

"Sure," he said casually, a second before he lunged forward and head-butted Jack hard in the groin.

Jack yelped in pain and stumbled back into Bliss, half falling to his knees. Mimi, Dylan, and Schuyler all made moves to grab Kingsley, who now looked like himself once again, but he easily evaded them and darted away to stand near the fire.

"I came to make a peace offering, actually," he said casually, his steps mirroring Mimi's as she stalked him. "I didn't come to fight. I just want to talk."

"This is your idea of talking?" Jack demanded, standing upright with visible effort.

"Not really, but you just piss me off. I still owe you for ruining my fun with that Red Blood at Duchesne."

"What do you want, Kingsley?" Mimi bit out, her expression sharp. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Schuyler move up to block Kingsley from the side, and she adjusted her position accordingly.

Kingsley turned toward her with a start, almost as if he were surprised to see her there. "Why, Madeline, what at pleasant surprise that you're able to join us. I figured you'd be a pile of ash floating at the bottom of the Tigris by now."

Mimi smiled tightly, although inside she was shaking with a strange combination of rage and fear. "Sorry to disappoint."

Kingsley grinned back. "No worries. I'm sure it's a situation that can be remedied shortly."

Mimi sneered elegantly at him, and he continued to smirk at her, unperturbed. "But enough pleasantries." He said abruptly. As he talked, he kept moving, staying out of range of Jack and Schuyler on his left and Mimi and Dylan on his right. Oliver and Bliss wisely stayed back.

"As I'm sure you're aware by now, my…associates and I are attempting to bring about the return of Bright One, our esteemed Master, Lucifer."

"So we've heard," said Jack cautiously. He didn't know where this was going, but for right now he figured it was in their best interest to keep Kingsley talking.

"I'm also sure you're aware, thanks to that annoyingly polite book of Forsyth Llwellyn's, what…ingredients we need to accomplish our task."

Oliver ignored Bliss's blank look and spoke to Kingsley, making sure to keep Dylan between himself and the former venator. "A Red Blood, a Blue Blood, the Apocalyptic Angels, the Rose of Lucifer, and the blood of the Uncorrupted."

Kingsley clapped softly, as though Oliver were a particularly intelligent puppy who had performed an interesting trick. "Bingo."

"You may have noticed that the six of you are able, amongst yourselves, to supply the majority of those components. I'm here to offer you a chance. Join us, help us bring about the return of Lucifer, and you needn't die. At least…not all of you. He's toast," Kingsley said, casually jerking his head at Oliver. "And one of you needs to fulfill the second sacrifice. But you three are safe," he assured Mimi, Jack, and Schuyler earnestly, as though that made everything else okay.

"Think about it," he said, when they all opened their mouths to speak. "You're in the middle of nowhere, and no one knows where you are. What other options do you have? Why not join me?"

"This is ridiculous," said Schuyler with a snort. "Even if I approved of what you're doing—which I don't—there's no way I'd sacrifice Dylan or Oliver or Bliss."

"I wouldn't be so hasty, Sky," Kingsley replied, and Schuyler bristled at the nickname "Lucifer can give you everything your heart desires, and more. You should join him now, save your own skin. There'll be other Red Bloods. All of you," he said, turning to address the group, "you can have anything you want. Just join me and my brethren and bring about the return of the Dark Master."

"We'd die first." Jack growled. Kingsley smiled, and it was chilling to see.

"Okay." He said softly.

_Fools. We're all fools._ Mimi thought to herself, three seconds before she dove for the first Silver Blood, one of many who'd jumped from the trees as soon as Kingsley had finished speaking.

They were all idiots, but most of all herself and Jack. Even before Kingsley had shown up impersonating Oliver they should have suspected a trap. The perfectly set up clearing only yards from where their car had stopped. It was too easy, too convenient. How had they been so blind? It was set up perfectly—for an ambush.

**I'm so so so excited! (I feel like I already said that, but what the hell.) We're finally getting into the meaty, nitty gritty parts of this story that I originally imagined when I first conceived it.**

**A warning: there is a reason this story is rated T, and I'm about to prove it. (If not in the very next chapter than definitely in the ones after that.) Mostly it's violence and danger, which I know is nothing new, but there's going to be a couple of very disturbing scenes coming up. Don't worry, I'll warn you in advance.**

**Thanks for your patience and reviews! Please let me know what you think**!


	22. Shattered Glass

**Melissa de la Cruz owns everything Blue Bloods**

**Happy Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza everyone!**

Within seconds, everything erupted in chaos. Bliss was half-concealed behind a pine, out of the direct sight of their attackers, and for several moments she could only watch in shock as the Silver Bloods brutally attacked her friends. When one particularly nasty Silver Blood took it upon himself to smash Dylan with a heavy branch, causing the boy to fall to the ground in a heap, she snapped out of her panic and ran to help him, knowing she probably couldn't do much good.

Jack and Mimi were off to one side, nearly invisible in the pack of twelve or more Silver Bloods surrounding them. From what she could tell in a three-second glance, they were holding their own, and even if they weren't Bliss knew she would be obliterated before she could even get in a position to help them.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Schuyler attempting to defend Oliver from four Silver Bloods who had the two surrounded. Schuyler was weaving and ducking and dodging, trying to move faster than her attackers while still protecting Oliver.

For his part, Oliver had seized hold of a branch and was waving it rather ineffectively before him, trying to help Schuyler. Bliss hesitated, wondering if she should help them, and almost had her head taken off when a Silver Blood's fist flew out of nowhere, catching her hard in the cheek. She collapsed as though someone had cut her legs out from under her, crumpling to the ground as blood pounded in her ears.

The Silver Blood grabbed her neck in one meaty fist and began to drag her towards him, but before his glistening teeth could get anywhere near her neck, someone dove on the Silver Blood's back, savagely ripping its head from its shoulders.

"Get out of here!" Dylan yelled as he threw the Silver Blood's body off of Bliss. "You're only going to get hurt! Get Oliver and run!"

"I'm not leaving—"

"This isn't a discussion." Dylan told her curtly, as he seized her arm and dragged her away from another group of Silver Bloods. He moved until they were next to Schuyler and Oliver, Dylan effortlessly taking out one of the Silver Bloods harassing them. "Oliver, Bliss, get out of here! We can't waste time defending you. No offense, but you're not much help."

"He's right, Ollie." Schuyler said, her words clipped as she took in deep gulps of air, still doggedly dodging the blows of an enormous Silver Blood.

"No way—"

Dylan barely moved in time, stopping the Silver Blood from taking off Oliver's head with one blow by throwing himself down on the human boy. They crashed to the ground, Oliver's face scraping uncomfortably on the roots and dirt.

"GO!" Dylan roared at him, dragging him to his feet and physically forcing Bliss and Oliver to run.

They crashed through the trees, Bliss slowing her speed so Oliver could keep up. After running about ten yards, the sounds of fighting dimmed, and they stopped and looked at each other.

"We've got to go back." Oliver said quietly, and Bliss bit her lip.

"I know. We've got to help them, but how?"

Oliver frowned, clearly as concerned as she was. "The car!" he said suddenly. "If we can get to the car, maybe we can set in on fire and chase them away."

Bliss stared at him. "That," she said, "is insane. But it might just work."

Oliver nodded. "Let's hurry. I don't know how much longer they can hold the Silver Bloods off."

They crept back towards the sounds of fighting, making sure to stay well out of sight. As soon as they could see the clearing, they turned and started towards the car. Bliss was gratified to see that as far as she could tell, all of their friends were still standing. "I think they're okay for now," she whispered, turning to Oliver.

She barely had time to register the red eyes glaring down at her from the hulking Silver Blood's face before something struck her from behind and she went down, the forest spinning then going black around her.

Time moved slowly for Bliss. Her eyes opened, but everything looked blurry. They sky above her was a disconcerting swirl of green and brown and white, and it took her several seconds to realize that she was on the floor of the forest, staring up at the trees.

She pulled herself to her knees, the action alone almost causing her to collapse again. Moving at a snail's pace, she crawled until she could see into the clearing, her eyesight still blurry. Vaguely, she realized there was blood dripping into her eyes. The scene before her gradually came into focus, and she gasped in horror.

Two Silver Bloods held Oliver against a tree, barely paying attention to the boy's desperate but fruitless struggles as they easily held him in place. Two others had Mimi pinned, forcing her to kneel on the ground, although judging by the way her chest was heaving with exhaustion, her head lolling to the side, the action may have been rather pointless. Dylan was also struggling against his captors, and Bliss saw with satisfaction that it was taking four of the Silver Bloods to keep him in check.

Bliss frowned, looking around for Schuyler, and she bit her lip when she spotted the other girl lying flat on the ground, unmoving and limp as a rag doll. She stared desperately at her sister for several seconds, then realized she could see Schuyler's chest moving up and down. Bliss breathed a sigh of relief. Schuyler was only unconscious, not dead.

Across the clearing, Bliss saw the remaining dozen or so Silver Bloods gathered in a ring around one of the trees, clearly amused at whatever they were seeing. She squinted, but was unable to see what they were looking at until a few of them turned and walked back towards the bodies of her friends.

Jack Force was standing with his back against the tree, Kingsley Martin's hand the only thing keeping him upright. His face, from what Bliss could see, was a mass of bruises and blue blood, his eyes nearly swollen shut. His shirt was torn, and his hair a mess of blood and dirt and leaves. Kingsley held him up with one hand, his other hand curled into a fist that he repeatedly and cruelly used to punch Jack in the gut. Jack hardly seemed aware what was happening to him, his head half lulling to one side.

Bliss gasped, shocked and horrified. She tried to get to her feet to go to him, to help him, to stop Kingsley's cruel abuse, but she couldn't even kneel upright before she collapsed again, her head pounding.

"Kingsley!" the hoarse voice startled Bliss, and she looked around to find the source. Kingsley stopped what he was doing, keeping one had on Jack, more so he stayed upright than to prevent him from running away. He too turned and looked for who had spoken.

Mimi had pulled herself to her knees, but, like Bliss, seemed too injured and disconcerted to go any further. "Kingsley, cut it out. I know you want both of us. Just leave him alone and take us."

Kingsley laughed, his voice mocking. "Oh, Madeline, Madeline, Madeline. You always think it's about you, don't you? So young, yet so conceited." He strolled over to where Mimi kneeled on the ground, half-dragging Jack behind him. Jack staggered along, almost falling twice, but Kingsley took no notice.

As Bliss watched in amazement, Mimi climbed to her feet, her movements shaky and slow. For one moment she wavered, and Bliss was sure she would fall, but then she steadied herself, shook off the two Silver Bloods holding her, and raised her eyes to glare at Kingsley. "I'm not half as conceited as you, asshole." she growled, and Kingsley raised an eyebrow.

"Ooh, language, Madeline, language. Watch your tongue when you speak, little girl—someone might just rip it out someday."

"What's your point, slime?" Mimi hissed, and Bliss flinched, sure Kingsley was about to rip her friend to pieces.

"Oh just this," Kingsley said casually, slinging one of Jack's arms around his shoulder so he supported the other boy. He leaned close, so he and Mimi were only inches apart. "I. Don't. Want. You." he whispered, laughing and pulling back when she looked shocked.

"But you said—"

"I say a lot of things, Madeline. As you may recall, I can be rather adept at fooling people with my words when it suits me. I don't want you, my dear, not now. But your brother…now, he's a prize worth keeping."

"Take me, then." Mimi said, and Bliss was impressed that her voice didn't shake. "If you only need one of us, take me. Leave Jack alone."

"No, Mimi…" both Mimi and Kingsley started with shock when Jack spoke. Like Bliss, they'd clearly thought he was too injured and incoherent to speak. Mimi started to reach for him, but Kingsley batted her away easily, laughing all the while.

"So noble and self-sacrificing. The two of you make me sick."

"Well?" Mimi demanded, ignoring Jack when he protested again.

"Hmm, let me think." Kingsley said, making a big show of rubbing his chin. "Umm, no."

"But…"

"Sorry, my dear." Kingsley said, laughing and backing away from her. "Places to go, people to see, deadlines to meet…you know how it goes. My boss is a real _devil _if I'm late."

Mimi started to run after them, but two Silver Bloods caught her and easily threw her to ground, and she clearly didn't have the strength to stand again. "Jack!" she cried, and desperation in her voice made Bliss shudder with sympathy and regret. If only she could help them…

Jack turned, half pulling away from Kingsley, but he wasn't trying to escape. He spoke, his voice hoarse but full of an emotion Bliss couldn't identify. "Bona fortuna tamen non bona, mea bellae angelae."

Bliss couldn't understand his words, but whatever he had said seemed to make sense to Mimi. She stopped struggling against the two Silver Bloods holding her down and seemed to collapse to the ground. Bliss wasn't sure, but it looked like she was crying.

"Get the other two, and let's go." Kingsley ordered, still dragging Jack behind him like a lifeless puppet. Bliss barely had time to wonder who the other two were before the Silver Bloods holding Dylan and Oliver began forcing the boys to follow Kingsley and Jack.

This time Bliss did cry out, scrambling madly to her feet and staggering into the clearing. The Silver Bloods barely bothered to glance at her as they easily lifted the inert forms of her friends and followed after Kingsley.

"Stop!" Bliss cried desperately, and for just a second Kingsley turned and smirked at her, lifting an imaginary cap off his head and saluting her.

"Cheers, Bliss." he told her gaily, before disappearing into the trees. Bliss tried to follow them, her head pounding dangerously as she tried to run, but then someone clamped a hand over her mouth, covering her entire face with a white, sweet-smelling cloth. She tried not to breath in, but after a few seconds she had no choice. The world went dark around her, and she knew nothing more.

"Bliss? Bliss?" Someone was saying her name, shaking her shoulder gently. She ignored the person and turned over, wanting to sleep for just a few more minutes.

"Bliss, come on, you gotta get up."

"Leave me alone, Jordan." she muttered, hoping if she ignored her sister long enough then she'd be allowed to sleep just a bit longer.

"Bliss, it's Schuyler. You need to get up. You might have a concussion."

"I'm fine." Bliss mumbled, turning away from the hands gently shaking her.

"Bliss Llewellyn, get your ass up right now!" someone snapped, and Bliss shot up, her head spinning as she stared around her in confusion.

"Sorry." Schuyler apologized, smiling sheepishly down at her friend. "But you really do need to get up."

"Where are we?" Bliss said, looking around her in confusion. Everything was dark.

"We're still in the forest," Schuyler explained. "It's about ten o'clock at night. We've all been out for a while. Whatever they drugged us with must have been pretty powerful. I only woke up an hour ago, and Mimi—" she broke off and glanced towards a dark shape sitting on a log, and Bliss distantly recognized the outline of her friend. "Well, I woke her up a few minutes after I came to, but it's like she's still unconscious. She's barely said anything and she's been staring off into space for almost twenty minutes now."

Something was pounding in Bliss' skull, demanding she pay attention. Something had happened, something she didn't want to think about. Distant memories of the afternoon came back to her slowly. "The boys?" she said, and Schuyler turned away, answering Bliss' question before she even spoke.

"They're gone." she said quietly. "All three of them."

Bliss bit her lip, holding back tears. She remembered how awful Jack had looked before he was taken. She didn't want to think about Kingsley doing the same thing to Dylan.

"We're going to get them back." Mimi's quiet voice startled the other girls, and they exchanged a glance before moving hesitantly towards her.

"But how?" Bliss asked.

Mimi shook her head, glaring into the darkness. "Doesn't matter. We're just going to do it."

"Before we do anything we all need to clean up a little." Schuyler pointed out, her expression worried as she watched Mimi. Bliss was also concerned. Her friend seemed too focused, too intense. This wasn't the Mimi she was used to.

"Fine." Mimi said curtly. Of the three of them she looked the worst, her face, neck, and arms a mass of cuts and bruises. Her shirt was ripped all the way down the front, exposing her bra, but she hardly seemed to notice, much less care.

Bliss was the best off, not like that was saying much. She was going to have a couple of massive lumps on her head where she'd been hit, but at least she wasn't bruised and torn up like the other two girls. There were benefits to being essentially useless in a fight.

"I'm going to look for a first aid kit it the car." Schuyler said. She returned a few minutes later, and they set about bandaging each other up as best they could. It was tedious and difficult, but they all knew they'd need to be at their strongest for whatever was to come.

Bliss sat before the empty fireplace, her own wounds bandaged, making strips out of the sleeve of Mimi's shirt, which was no longer of any use as a sleeve. She mulled over the earlier events, wondering how things could have gone so wrong so fast.

Inexplicably, the Rose of Lucifer was still in her pocket. She couldn't understand why they had taken the boys but left that. As she contemplated the reasons for their oversight, none of them particularly pleasant, she realized they were all missing something basic. "Why are we alive?" she asked softly.

"What?" Schuyler asked, distracted, as she helped Mimi tie a piece of torn shirt around her shoulder, bandaging a deep and nasty-looking cut. It looked extremely painful, but Mimi almost didn't seem to notice as she stared off into the distance, completely lost in her head.

"I'm serious, guys." Bliss said, moving closer and trying to hold their attention. "Why are we alive?"

"Who cares?" Mimi asked bitterly. "The Silver Bloods got what they wanted. They took Jack and Oliver and Dylan, and you're wasting time asking why we're alive?"

"Think about it." Bliss persisted, trying to get them to see how serious she was. "Suppose you're right, Mimi, that it was only the boys they wanted. So why leave us alive? Why not kill us and get us out of the way, or turn us so they'll have even more Silver Bloods on their side?"

Schuyler glanced up, Bliss's words reaching her even as she tried to concentrate on other things. Reluctantly, she thought about what her sister was saying. "I…I guess I don't know," she admitted, a little disconcerted.

"Exactly!" Bliss said, glad that someone was finally listening to her point. "It can't be anything good, that's for sure."

"No kidding." Schuyler said darkly, tying off the bandage on Mimi's shoulder. "Is that tight enough?" she asked.

"It's fine." Mimi said, barely listening. She stood up and stalked out of the fire pit, and as Bliss and Schuyler watched in confusion, deeper into the woods.

"Mimi, wait!" Schuyler said, jogging after her. She heard Bliss following close behind. "Where are you going?"

Mimi spun around, her long blond hair flaring around her head like a cape. "To find Jack, of course."

"Shouldn't we, you know, come up with a plan first?" Bliss asked hesitantly, biting her lip as she watched Mimi. Her friend looked ready to kill anything—or anyone—who got in her way.

"What's to plan?" Mimi snapped, walking away again. "Kingsley took him. I'm getting him back."

"Mimi—"

"I don't want to hear it!" Mimi yelled over her shoulder, cutting Schuyler off before she could start.

Putting on a burst of speed, Schuyler darted around and planted herself firmly in front of Mimi, making the other girl stop abruptly. "Just listen for one minute." she said through clenched teeth, trying to control her anger.

"Move, Schuyler." Mimi growled, glaring daggers at the shorter girl.

"No." Schuyler said firmly, planting her feet and glaring right back.

"Get out of my way, half-blood." Mimi hissed, her words slicing through Schuyler more effectively than any blade.

Schuyler closed her eyes for half a second, clamping down on her emotions as hard as she could. Those could come later. She knew Mimi was deliberately trying to hurt her, but she wasn't playing that game now. Instead of crying or yelling like she wanted to, she took a deep breath and spoke to Mimi as calmly as she could.

"Mimi, please, listen to me for just one—"

Mimi's fist flew out of nowhere, catching Schuyler so hard in the jaw she actually felt her neck snap back. She was on the ground before she could register what had happened, shocks of pain running through her already-injured body. Vaguely, through the pain, she saw Mimi's boot-clad feet walking past her.

She didn't give herself time to think, just grabbed Mimi's leg and yanked her to the ground as hard as she could. Mimi collapsed next to her, stunned, and before she could recover Schuyler had thrown herself on top of her, her knees pinning Mimi's hips while her hands held her wrists. "You made the first move." she growled in Mimi's face.

Mimi stared up at her shocked, and then her face twisted in rage. "This isn't the time for games, Schuyler!" she yelled in frustration, twisting and trying to throw the smaller girl off. Schuyler held her firmly.

"No, you're right, it isn't." she replied calmly. "And that's why I'm stopping you. This isn't a game. The lives of people we love are in danger. We can't treat this casually. Anything we do needs to be planned and executed as carefully as possible. None of us are enemies here. We all want the exact same thing—for Oliver, Jack, and Dylan to be safe. This isn't a game, Mimi. This is real life. So stop fooling around and help me."

Mimi stared at her for a minute, shock, confusion, and anger playing over her features. Then, abruptly, she sighed, going slack in Schuyler's grip. She no longer looked powerful and angry, but frightened and bewildered. "How?" she whispered imploringly.

Schuyler felt a stab of pity for the other girl. Mimi was just reacting how she always acted in such situations—with anger and cold conviction to mask her uncertainty. Schuyler knew Mimi was just as worried about the boys as she was.

"I don't know," she admitted softly, climbing off Mimi. "But," she continued, standing slowly, "if all three of us work together, I bet we can come up with something." She took a deep breath. That half-blood comment had hurt, but now was not the time to dwell on old grudges. "Please, Mimi. I can't do this alone, and neither can you." She held out her hand, offering to pull the other girl up. "Won't you help us?"

For several seconds, Mimi said nothing, looking down as she bit her lip. Schuyler stood frozen, hardly daring to breath. If this didn't work, she was out of options. Finally, Mimi looked up, meeting Schuyler's eyes. They stared at each other for several seconds, green eyes watching blue, and then Mimi reached out and took her hand, using it to pull herself to her feet.

Bliss watched the whole scene unfold, knowing better than to get involved. As Schuyler helped Mimi stand, she let out a long breath she didn't even know she'd been holding. That was…unbelievable. For the first time since she'd known her, someone had gotten the best of Mimi Force. And even more unbelievable, Mimi didn't look like she wanted to kill Schuyler. She looked…grateful, if it was even possible for Mimi to feel grateful about anything. Bliss shook her head, wondering what it was about Schuyler that had finally melted through Mimi's ice queen persona. The two girls were more alike than either of them probably realized.

**Hey everybody, hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and that everyone has a Happy Holidays!**

**Next chapter we'll find out what's happening with the boys, I promise. Thanks again for your patience and your reviews—both are much appreciated. **


	23. Schoolboy Grudge

**I own nothing—Melissa de la Cruz is the brilliant creator of Blue Bloods.**

**Also, the chapter title is a very indirect reference to Harry Potter, which I also (unfortunately) don't own. **

Jack's shirt was missing. He sat up slowly, instantly wishing he hadn't. His head, already pounding with pain, gave a frightening lurch and threatened to drag him back under in a wave of dizziness and nausea. And his shirt was missing. Why was his shirt missing? This particular fact seemed unreasonably important to him.

Cool air was blowing against his bare chest, making him shiver, his teeth chattering, fangs banging uncomfortably together. He opened his eyes slowly, but that illuminated nothing, as the room he was in was shrouded in darkness. "Wha—" he started to ask, disconcerted and confused.

"Oh, he's awake." A voice to his left spoke, and a cold hand reached out to grip his forearm. "How are you feeling?"

"Dylan?" Jack asked, still confused. How had he gotten here, and what was Dylan Ward doing sitting in the dark with him?

"Yeah, it's me. Listen, you hit your head pretty hard, man. Do you remember what happened?"

Jack closed his eyes, which was a minor improvement, trying to recall how he had ended up here. Scenes flashed through his head—a motel, a car chase, a forest clearing, Schuyler and his sister, and— "Kingsley Martin?" he growled, his eyes snapping open.

"Yeah," a second voice said glumly on his other side. "Kingsley frickin' Martin."

Jack squinted, his more-than-human sight allowing him to make out the tall and gangly shape of the boy sitting to his right. "Oliver? They got you, too, huh?"

"No," Oliver said conversationally. "I just came along for the company."

Jack smiled before he caught himself, sitting up fully and stretching muscles that ached and groaned in protest. "Where's my shirt?" he asked, looking around fruitlessly.

"We took it off so we could bandage some of the wounds," Dylan explained, offering Jack his balled up shirt. Jack unfolded it and stared at it, trying to recall what exactly had happened to him. The shirt was torn and stained with a dark blue substance that could only be the blood of a vampire.

"Wounds?" Jack said blankly. "What wounds?"

Dylan frowned at him. "You don't remember?"

"I—" It came back slowly, and Jack shuddered at the memory of two Silver Bloods holding him captive against a tree as Kingsley ruthlessly drove his fists into him again and again. He'd tried to fight, but he'd been out of practice—real practice, not the little skirmishes he and Mimi had fought with the Silver Bloods—and unable to break free.

"Damn him," Jack said quietly, wondering what he and Mimi had done to piss off the other boy so much. Kingsley's attack had been driven by more a simple desire to beat him into submission. He'd wanted Jack be in pain, and he'd wanted Mimi to see it. What did he know that Jack didn't?

"Amen," Oliver said in the darkness, and Jack grinned again before a thought occurred to him.

"Wait a minute. I'm assuming Kingsley's got us locked up in some sort of jail, or dungeon—"

"It's a cave, I think," Dylan supplied.

"Yeah. Anyways, if we're stuck in here, and I'm assuming the Silver Bloods are neither generous nor at the forefront of medical knowledge, what did you guys use for bandages?"

Neither of them answered, and Jack squinted at them, his eyes finally adjusting fully to the darkness. Like him, Oliver and Dylan were shirtless, and it took him only a few seconds to realize that the blue and white bandages around his chest had once been pieces of their shirts.

Jack took a deep breath and sat back, stunned speechless by their show of selflessness and kindness. Were their roles reversed, he couldn't say whether he would have done the same thing for either of them. He glanced down, ashamed. He'd vastly underestimated both Oliver and Dylan. "Thank you," he whispered, unsure of what else to say.

"It's nothing," Oliver said, and Jack frowned, hearing the other boy's teeth chattering.

"Here, put this on," he ordered Oliver, tossing him his balled up shirt. Oliver started to object, but Jack spoke over him. "Listen, I'm not trying to be all self-sacrificing. You're human, so you're more sensitive to the cold that either of us. Schuyler'll kill me if you get through all of this only to die of hypothermia."

Oliver hesitated, glancing at Dylan. The other boy nodded silently, agreeing with Jack. Another thought occurred to Jack. "Speaking of which, where are the girls?" he asked.

There was a heavy silence, and Jack felt his heart sink. He tried to feel for Mimi, panic rising in his chest when he felt nothing. "Oliver? Dylan? Where are the girls?"

"We…we're not exactly sure," Oliver said finally, and Jack could hear the same desperation and concern that he himself felt in Oliver's voice.

"They were definitely alive when we were taken," Dylan supplied, trying and failing to sound hopeful. "Schuyler was unconscious, but she was breathing, and Bliss and Mimi seemed to be okay…physically, anyways. I saw all three of them just before we were dragged of, but I don't know what happened after that."

Jack let out a slow breath, deciding against letting them know he couldn't feel Mimi, at least for the time being. There was no reason to make them feel worse when he had no real proof that anything was wrong with his sister, let alone the other girls.

"They're probably coming for us right now," he said, voice buoyed with false bravado. "If I know Mimi, she's probably pissed as hell and planning the intimate details of the ass-kicking she's going to give Kingsley when she catches up with him."

Dylan eyed him, silently calling Jack's bluff, but Oliver at least sounded hopeful. "Yeah, I bet you're right. I just hope they're careful. If anything happens to Schuyler on my behalf, my dad will kill me."

Dylan laughed, the sound hoarse and eerie in the darkness. "You're sitting in a dark cave in the middle of the forest being held captive by a bunch of bloodthirsty vampires who want to bring about the end of human civilization, and you're worried what your _dad's_ going to do?"

"Yeah, well, you haven't seen my dad when he's really angry," Oliver muttered defensively. "Besides, he likes Sky more than me. And," he sighed, his tone turning serious, "that was really just my way of saying that I'd never forgive _myself _if something happened to Sky, whether or not she was protecting me."

"I know what you mean," Dylan said quietly. "Bliss doesn't know the first thing about fighting, but she'll never back down if she thinks someone she loves is in danger. I'd hate to think what Kingsley would do if he got his hands on her." Dylan glowered in the darkness, and Jack had a pretty good idea of what the other boy would do to Kingsley if he dared touch Bliss.

Jack said nothing, staring moodily into the darkness. He wasn't worried about Mimi getting hurt, at least not in the way the other boys were talking about. After centuries of hunting Silver Bloods with her, he knew she could more than hold her own.

No, it was something deeper that had him concerned. Kingsley clearly thought he could bring about the return of Lucifer, and more than that he knew how to do it. Why then had he left Mimi and Schuyler behind, if that was indeed what had happened? It would have been incredibly easy to bring them along, and then he would have had all the ingredients he needed—except Semael and Mephistopheles. Jack realized with a shudder that they would be the least of Kingsley's worries—the two thrived on violence and chaos, and would gladly go along with any plan to bring about the return of their master.

Jack shook his head, trying to pull himself out of his troubling thoughts. The puzzle of the girls was disconcerting, to say the least, but seeing as how he had no current means of finding out more information, there was no point in worrying about it now. As for Semael and Mephistopheles…Jack bit his lip. He'd have to make Kingsley understand just what he was getting himself into with those two. Judging by the little he knew about Kingsley, Jack was fairly certain the other boy was more power-hungry than evil. He'd have to make Kingsley understand that he'd only end up getting hurt if he tried to involve the other two Apocalyptic Angels.

The door to the cell clanged somewhere behind them, and all three boys spun around, squinting in the light of a lantern.

"Sorry," Kingsley said, not sounding it at all, "I'd say I didn't mean to hurt you, but we all know I'd be lying, so I won't bother."

"What do you want, Kingsley?" Dylan asked, his voice even, and Kingsley frowned, puzzled by him. Of the three boys, Dylan was the only one he had never met before, and the other boy's calm in the face of adversity clearly confused him. Good, Jack thought, wondering if they could somehow use that to their advantage.

"Nothing that concerns you, …um…David."

"Dylan." Jack and Oliver corrected together, and Kingsley waved his hand, clearly unconcerned with his mistake.

"Sure. Whatever. No, it's just you I need to talk to, Jacky boy," Kingsley said, smirking at Jack. Jack ground his teeth, silently reminding himself that it wouldn't do any of them any good if he lashed out at Kingsley.

"What do you want?" he asked, teeth clenched.

Kingsley snapped his fingers, and two of the guards hauled Jack to his feet. His head spun dangerously, but he forced himself to stand straight and tall. He would not show Kingsley any sign of weakness.

"Let's go," Kingsley said, turning and leaving the cell. Jack had no choice but to follow as the guards forced him out of the cell. As he was led away, he turned and glanced back. Oliver and Dylan were leaning against the bars of their cell, watching him walk away. He knew he wasn't imagining the worry in their eyes.

He gave them a small smile, which Oliver returned half-heartedly, but Dylan continued to look solemn. Jack had a nasty feeling that Dylan had guessed what Kingsley wanted with him, and that it wasn't going to be a pleasant experience.

Jack took a deep breath. One shot. That was all he wanted. One shot at Kingsley with no guards to stop him. He'd had it coming ever since he used the glom on that freshman all those months ago, and Jack wasn't going to let him get away a second time. He'd underestimated Kingsley once, and almost lost his twin for his error. He wasn't going to make the same mistake again.

He sighed, ducking his head as he guards led him under some protruding stalactites—or were they stalagmites, he could never remember—and acknowledged, at least to himself, that he probably wasn't going to get the opportunity. Kingsley was too meticulous, too careful to let Jack catch him unaware. If Jack was going to get his chance, he would have to trick Kingsley into it.

They walked through a seemingly endless maze of narrow stone corridors, the ground sloping vaguely downwards. The air was growing steadily heavier and warmer, and Jack wondered just how far underground they were. He knew that Western New York had an infinite number of underground caverns, most of them virtually unexplored. They could be anywhere by now, especially since Jack didn't know how far Kingsley had taken he, Oliver, and Dylan while they were unconscious.

He bit his lip, feeling again for Mimi. To his shock, he felt an answering flare from her mind, much closer than he'd expected. He stumbled and fell to his knees, but he didn't even hear the guards' snickers as they hauled him roughly to his feet. Mimi was alive, and not far away. That was all that mattered.

He called her name in his mind, but didn't receive a response. He hadn't really expected one. He approximated that she was no more than ten miles away, but no less than five. Added to the fact that he was clearly deep underground, he suspected the distance was simply too far. But that didn't matter. She was alive, and close, and that was enough for now.

Jack even allowed himself a small smile as they finally stopped and ducked into a small side cavern that had clearly been converted into a storage area of some sort. He took a deep breath and froze.

The stench of human blood threatened to overwhelm him, and his back stiffened, his body reminding him just how long it had been since he'd last eaten, let alone the last time he'd had access to human blood. Kingsley smirked at his reaction, gesturing lazily to the rows of jars on the shelf, each full of thick red liquid.

"Seeing as we're a bit of a ways out here, we have to keep an in-house stock to keep everyone…satisfied."

Jack said nothing, concentrating on breathing through his mouth. The smell was so overpowering, and he was so hungry, he could barely stop himself from diving for one of the jars, smashing it open, and drinking the blood. He suspected that was exactly what Kingsley wanted, however, and so he held himself still.

"Don't worry, the local hospital was only too glad to donate the bags of blood to the local 'victims' of the cave-in…of course, they were a little put out when we ran out of the bags and started using their doctors and nurses as impromptu donors, but, well…" he gestured to the jars again and laughed. "That's hardly their concern anymore."

"You're sick, Kingsley," Jack spat, his anger getting the better of him.

Kingsley smiled at him mirthlessly. "Thank you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife, flipping it open carelessly and staring at Jack with a hungry expression on his face. "Of course, as you know, we much prefer another, much rarer, type of blood—and I'm not talking about AB negative here."

Jack felt his stomach drop, but he forced himself to glare back at Kingsley. "So that's your diabolical plan? To turn me into an afternoon snack?" he snorted. "Wow, Kingsley, I thought you were evil, but now I see you're just…" he paused, choosing his word carefully, "pathetic."

Kingsley frowned, and Jack was pleased to see the corners of his eyes tighten in anger. "I wasn't planning on drinking all of you," Kingsley said, his tone petulant. "You're too important for that. I just want a little taste." He smiled suddenly, and Jack bit his lip, worried that his ploy was failing. "Besides. Your blood's not the important thing. Not yet, anyways," he added as an afterthought.

"Then what is?" Jack growled, tired of Kingsley's games.

"Your pain," Kingsley hissed, and Jack took a step back before he could stop himself. Kingsley laughed, triumphant, and Jack scowled.

"Why's that?" Jack demanded, trying to keep his tone steady, to not let Kingsley detect the fear in his voice. What reason could Kingsley have for wanting him to be in pain? Surely he wasn't still upset about their almost-fight back at school.

Kingsley smiled enigmatically. "I'm sure you can figure it out if you think about it."

Jack shook his head, dismissing Kingsley and his words. He didn't have time for Kingsley and his mind games. He had one chance left to goad Kingsley into a one-on-one fight, and he couldn't blow it now.

Jack took a deep breath and tried to channel Mimi, rearranging his features into a bored, put-upon expression, as if Kingsley's mockery was beneath him. He sighed, tossed his hair out of his eyes and sneered at Kingsley.

"So, what? You're going to slice, dice, and julienne me while your hired goons hold me down? _Real _brave, Kingsley." He made his voice as sarcastic as possible, imaging the tone Mimi took when she ripped one of their classmates to shreds with her words alone. "Gee, no wonder you had to knock us out to bring us here. You know, if I didn't know better, Kingsley, I'd say you were a coward."

Kingsley's eyes narrowed, and for one horrible second Jack thought he'd pushed the other boy too far and that Kingsley would just attack him now, draining his blood and turning him into a Silver Blood. "Release him!" Kingsley snapped, and Jack let out a breath of relief as the guards let go of his arms, stepping away and letting him stand of his own volition.

"Fine. It's just you and me, and the guards won't interfere," Kingsley ground out.

Jack ducked his head to hide a smile, pleased how much his words had irritated the other boy. An angry opponent was a careless opponent, and Jack was going to need all the advantages he could if he was going to beat Kingsley in his weakened state.

"Whatever," he said, still sounding as bored as possible. He subtly moved himself into a fighting stance, displeased when his knees shook and threatened to give out. He needed that blood badly. First chance he got, he'd grab one of the jars. He'd just have to hope that Kingsley's promise that the guards wouldn't intervene would hold.

Kingsley settled into a similar stance opposite him, his movements light and sure. Jack suspected he'd had some training, but doubted Kingsley had spent literally hundreds of years hunting and killing Silver Bloods as he had.

True, he didn't normally hunt them when he was tired, injured, and weak from loss of blood, but this was his game now. This was what he had been born to do. He was a hunter, and, although he didn't know it, Kingsley had just become the prey. Jack met Kingsley's eyes, and his mouth turned up in a cocky grin. He'd been granted his one shot, and he wasn't going to blow it now.

**This chapter got a little off track from the story—once Jack starts thinking about something, it takes him a very long time to shut up. I still found this chapter interesting to write because it's the first really Jack-centric one I've done. Hope you guys don't mind all his brooding.**

**Anyways, the next chapter will return to the previously scheduled program. Reviews are always much appreciated**.


	24. What's Honor

**Melissa de la Cruz owns Blue Bloods, and the title belongs to Shakespeare. (Henry IV, if anyone's curious.) This chapter picks up immediately where the last one left off. **

Kingsley Martin watched Jack Force closely, trying to gage what the other boy was doing. Jack was weak and ill-prepared to fight—why would he challenge Kingsley to a battle he knew he had no hope of winning?

Ah well. Kingsley shrugged disinterestedly, moving his feet to match Jack's shifting stance. This wasn't how he would have preferred to do things, but now that the gauntlet had been thrown, so to speak, he couldn't back out. It was hard enough to control this lot of buffoons without them thinking he was a coward.

For several tense seconds, the two boys shifted around and around each other on the stone floor, eyes wary and bodies tight. Both were too smart to make a rash first move, and they might have gone on circling for hours, if one of the guards, impatient with their lily-footed dancing, hadn't taken it upon himself to give Jack a hard shove in the back.

"Ah!" Jack cried, stumbling forward. Kingsley smiled grimly and ducked low, getting himself under Jack's chest before standing up and tossing the other boy over his shoulder. Jack crashed to the floor, but he twisted around, planting his feet and crouching low to the ground. Kingsley's eyes widened slightly. He hadn't expected Jack to recover that quickly.

Jack's eyes narrowed as he watched Kingsley's feet, waiting for inevitable shift. Right…there. As soon as Kingsley moved his feet, preparing to attack, Jack kicked out and caught Kingsley in the knee, using the boy's own momentum to throw him to the ground.

Kingsley growled, lunging up and throwing a punch towards Jack's face. Jack raised an arm to block the blow, but at the last second Kingsley opened his hand and tossed a handful of dirt into Jack's face.

Coughing, Jack stumbled back, aware that Kingsley was coming towards him. Logically, he knew he should have retreated back and regained his footing and his sight, but a cold rage had settled over him. Kingsley had attacked him, invaded his dreams, used Jack as a pawn to drive himself and people he cared about into a trap. He had kidnapped Jack, and worst of all, he had tried to kill Mimi. Jack had been waiting for his opportunity for months, and he wasn't waiting any longer.

Kingsley lunged for Jack, startled when the other boy swung into the blow. Each glanced a hit off the other's shoulder, neither doing much damage. They came apart, then dove back together, fists and feet striking skin in moves too fast for the human eye to follow. They kept of the litany of blows for close to fifteen minutes, neither pausing for even a second's respite.

In the back of his mind, Jack knew he was going to have to end this fight soon, or risk losing to Kingsley. He was already weakened from lack of sustenance and from Kingsley's early beating, and although he was stronger, he knew the other boy would out last him unless he did something.

Using a move that he'd learned not from fighting Silver Bloods but from years of varsity sports, Jack hooked his hands in the belt loops of Kingsley's pants and pulled down as hard as he could. The move didn't work as well as it usually did—Kingsley was wearing tight jeans with little give—but the waist of his jeans caught on his hips and he tripped, giving Jack the second he needed.

Instead of attacking Kingsley, Jack shoved his way past the startled guards over to the shelves of blood. His hand closed around a jar just as he felt Kingsley grab his shirt. Shoving his shoulder back into Kingsley's chest, Jack spun sharply and raised the jar as high as he could before smashing it over Kingsley's face.

The jar shattered on impact, blood and shards of glass flying all over the place. Kingsley howled in pain as Jack pressed his hand forward, driving the shards as hard as he could into Kingsley's skin. The glass cut his palm, but he ignored the sharp stings and used Kingsley's momentary distraction to knee him in the groin.

Kingsley went down with a cry, and Jack allowed himself just the smallest smile of satisfaction before driving his knee into Kingsley's stomach. As he'd thought, Kingsley had vastly underestimated his abilities, to his detriment. Just because he was unwilling to fight didn't mean he was unable.

"Yield." he ordered Kingsley, pinning his arms in place with his hands.

"And then what?" Kingsley asked, expression admirably cool given his current position.

Jack paused, unsure what to say. Yes, he'd beaten Kingsley, but that didn't mean Kingsley was just going to let him walk out of here. Even if he would, it wasn't as if Jack could leave Oliver and Dylan behind.

"Always thinking in the moment, Jack." Kingsley said. He twisted his wrist and broke Jack's hold, but otherwise he stayed still as he raised his free hand to his face and wiped off the blood and glass. The glass had left several shallow but nasty cuts, and Jack wrinkled his nose at the silvery-blue color of Kingsley's blood.

Jack hesitated. He supposed he could try to take Kingsley hostage, but he didn't think he could get that good a grip on the other boy before the guards intervened. Instead, he shrugged, expression bored. "Guess that's why you don't mind losing, right Kingsley? You knew you were never in danger. Your guards'll step in if I really tried to hurt you. It's kind of…" he paused, as if searching for a word "pathetic."

Kingsley's face darkened, eyes glowering up at Jack. Concentrating on his face, Jack didn't see Kingsley's hand snake down to the pocket of his pants. "Take it back, Force." he ordered.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Bite me, Kingsley."

"With pleasure." Kingsley hissed, as he drew his knife out of his pocket and drove the blade mercilessly into Jack's side.

Jack cried out, twisting wildly as he tried to get away from the sudden burning near his left hip. He rolled off Kingsley and the other boy stood, swiftly pulling the knife with him and causing Jack to cry out again.

Ignoring Kingsley and his guards watching him, laughing as he squirmed on the ground, Jack forced the rational part of his brain to conquer the pain, at least temporarily, and clamped a hand firmly over the wound in his side. He pressed himself back against one of the shelves, breathing heavily.

"You cheater." he hissed, words tight and full of pain.

"All's fair in love and war, Jacky boy." Kingsley told him with a laugh. As Jack watched, disgusted, Kingsley raised the knife to his mouth and licked the blade clean of his blood. "Mmm, tasty." he said thoughtfully.

"You sick bastard." Jack said, struggling to gain control of his emotions. He needed Kingsley to listen to him—it might be their only chance to stop this diabolical plan before it really got rolling. "Kingsley." Jack said, locking eyes with the other boy, who merely looked bored.

"You have to listen to me. You don't know what you're getting yourself into—Ahh!" Kingsley darted forward, and before Jack could twist away, he slid the knife down the side of Jack's neck and across his collarbone. The cut wasn't deep enough to kill, or even do any lasting damage, but it hurt nonetheless.

"Kingsley, please! This isn't a game—"

"Hold him." Kingsley ordered his guards, his tone bored. Jack went pale and tried to crawl away, one hand still clamped against his side, but two Silver Bloods easily grabbed him and held him still.

Focus, Jack thought as Kingsley approached him, knife gleaming with his blood in the dimness of the underground lighting. "Kingsley. I know you think bringing about Lucifer will help you, and maybe it will—" he broke off again as the other boy almost lazily ran the knife down his torso, opening a cut from his chest to his stomach.

"But he'll use you until he no longer needs you, and then you'll be tossed aside like a piece of garbage." Jack said in one breath. Speaking was getting harder—the wounds on his neck, chest and side hurt terribly—but for whatever reason, Kingsley was not cutting deep, and for the moment at least, he could still speak.

"No he won't." Kingsley said with certainty. He smiled widely and drove the knife towards Jack's face, but just as Jack cried out and twisted desperately to get away, Kingsley turned the blade aside and tapped his cheek.

Ignoring Kingsley's chuckles as he collapsed back in a heap on the floor, Jack fought to keep his head, to hold off the fear and the pain. "You don't know him like I do." he told Kingsley flatly, and something in his tone caught the other boy's attention.

"I was his lieutenant, the leader of his armies." Jack said, and his face was no longer that of a young boy's. "For a hundred years I stood by his side while he waged war against the heavens. I did terrible things, things you can't even imagine. I did them, and so did Azrael, and it pleased him, so much so that he called us his Apocalyptic Angels."

Some part of Jack noted that all the guards had stopped moving, and even Kingsley had let the knife drop to his side. Jack took a breath and kept speaking, knowing he needed to press his advantage.

"But it wasn't just us." he continued. "There were two others, Mephistopheles and Semael. Together, the four of us nearly destroyed the world with the curses of humanity—death, destruction, war, and famine. Azrael—Mimi—and I eventually forsook that path, and joined Michael, turning the tide of the war against Lucifer. But Semael and Mephistopheles stayed by his side to the very end—and when he was vanquished, they became the first Silver Bloods. They've had thousands of years to grow bitter about their master's banishment, and if you bring him back, they'll be right by your side—so they can stab you in the back as soon as you're no longer needed."

Jack stared up at Kingsley, old eyes glittering in an eternally youthful face. "You couldn't possibly understand what you're getting yourself into. You weren't there, you didn't see the bodies piled as high as building, the toppled cities that lay in ruin from man's needless destruction of man. You're a pawn, Kingsley, and the stakes of the game are chaos and ruin or order and life. If you don't understand that, and move to alter the path, you'll be one of the first to go down. Lucifer doesn't care about you, he only cares about his most powerful allies, and they'll get rid of you as soon as it's convenient. You don't understand, Kingsley. So do yourself a favor and step aside before you destroy us all."

Resounding silence filled the cavern as Jack stopped speaking and slumped back against the Silver Bloods holding him up. His head spun, and it took all his strength to direct his gaze at Kingsley's face.

Kingsley had raised the knife to his face at some point during Jack's speech, and he was studying it intensely, twisting it over and over in his hands. Suddenly he stopped, and to Jack's amazement he smiled.

"Kingsley, this isn't a joke—"

Jack broke off as the other boy threw back his head and laughed, the sound echoing eerily off the stone walls. The guards joined in, snorting with laughter as Kingsley dropped to his knees so he was face to face with Jack.

"Oh god, you should have heard yourself. Is that what they teach young Blue Bloods now, how to make self-righteous speeches? Good lord, mate, I have expected you to stand up and start singing the National Anthem! And to think…" he paused, wiping his eyes as he started laughing again. "And to think you believe_ I_ don't understand."

"You don't." Jack said tightly. "You really don't. Kingsley, you don't see—"

"No, Abbadon, _you_ don't see." Kingsley growled, his laughter suddenly gone. "Ten thousand years I've waited for this moment, and what do you do? You try to lecture me, just like always. I was there, you self-righteous prick, _I was there_. I know what happened, and I know what you did. You and your slut turned traitor as soon as it looked like Lucifer might not win."

He pulled back, and Jack was shocked to see flat disgust on his face. "I'm not like you." Kingsley said. "I don't sell my loyalty to the highest bidder. I've stayed loyal to my master all these years, and you think you can lecture me?"

He growled in anger and grabbed Jack's shoulders, dragging him roughly away from the guards. "I'll tell you something else, _Abaddon_. I don't forget, and I don't forgive." He leaned forward so his face was inches from Jack's. "Recognize me now?"

Jack's eyes widened, his mouth dropping open as his brain tumbled into free-fall. "No." he whispered. "It's not possib—"

"Oh it most assuredly is. I can't believe you didn't see it the moment I walked into Duschene. We've always been drawn to each other, you know that. Two of you were already in place, so it made sense that I would follow. It's kind of funny, in a way. Who would've thought, after all those years, we'd all end up going to _high school_ together? It's quite a class roster, really. Abbadon, and Azrael, and---"

"Mephistopheles." Jack breathed, as hope died in his chest.

**So, after months of not updating…yeah. Okay. Go ahead and throw the rotten vegetables. Good news is I have two more chapters already written. Because it's getting close to the release of **_**The Van Alen Legacy**_**, I'm going to be posting chapters every 3-5 days, as they get written. Thanks to all of you who stuck with this story. **


	25. The Dying of the Light

**Another chapter, another disclaimer. Melissa de la Cruz owns Blue Bloods. Title comes from Dylan Thomas's poem **_**Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night. **_

"They didn't have a car." Bliss said.

"What's that now?" Schuyler asked, holding aside a tree branch so her sister could duck under. They'd been following Mimi for the better part of an hour, tramping all over this damn forest. As a child, Schuyler had dreamed of leaving behind the chrome and steel of Manhattan and exploring the world—the Sahara desert, the Arctic tundra, the jungles of the Amazon. Now she realized wryly just how foolish her dreams had been. When—if—they got out of this, she'd be perfectly content with the carefully groomed lawns of Central Park as her only exposure to the wilderness.

"The Silver Bloods. They didn't have a car."

Schuyler waited until they cleared the top of a small hill before responding, saving her breath for the climb. Mimi had been leading them on a relentless march through the forest, following some scent only she could detect. Unfortunately, last night's snow had melted, meaning they weren't cold, but they were covered in mud. Every three steps Schuyler had to stop and pull her cheap sneakers out of the gloppy mess. This was absolutely the last time she left home without a fully packed suitcase.

"What's your point—oh!" she said suddenly.

Bliss gave her a tired smile. Her curly red hair was currently playing host to a number of twigs and pine needles. At least there were no bugs, given the cold weather. (It was rather depressing, Bliss thought dryly, that the current highlight of her existence was 'lack of insects.') "Exactly. If they don't have a car, they can't be too far away. Even vampire stamina has limits."

"Mimi, did you catch that?" Schuyler asked. "The Silver Bloods don't have a car, so—"

"We already knew that." Mimi said impatiently. She didn't even bother to turn and look at the other girls. She turned sharply from side to side, eyes narrowed as she examined the mud under their feet. "They poked a hole in the gas tank, remember? They wanted us to stop there so they could ambush us and—" she broke off suddenly, spinning in a circle.

"Mimi?" Bliss asked. "What's wrong?"

"I can't…" Mimi said faintly, talking more to herself than the others. "Those assholes!" she said suddenly. Bliss and Schuyler looked at her nervously. "They took different routes." Mimi said, whacking aside a tree branch in frustration. The other girls looked blank.

"They took different routes to get wherever they were going. It makes tracking them almost impossible." Mimi scowled and sat down on a log, absently biting her nail as she thought. Kingsley was more prepared than she would have given him credit for. For the tenth time that hour, Bliss's question danced through her mind, haunting her. Why _were_ they alive? Why would Kingsley leave them essentially intact, and not even take the jewel? She'd thought it was a set up, but if they couldn't even follow the boys, how were they supposed to walk into his trap?

"We can't just follow one trail, no matter how convoluted, to wherever they are?" Bliss asked. She leaned back against a pine and brushed a fallen branch against her jeans in a mostly futile attempt to remove the three-inch thick layer of mud.

"No." Mimi said, mouth working on autopilot while she wracked her brains. "They'll have doubled back on themselves and deliberately crossed paths. We'll have to come up with another plan."

They all lapsed into silent thought, and Schuyler steeled herself to ask Mimi a question that had occurred to her several minutes ago. She'd refrained both because she was afraid of the answer and afraid of Mimi's reaction, but now it seemed she had no choice.

"Mimi…" she said hesitantly, waiting until the older girl looked up before continuing. "Mimi, is there some reason you can't just follow them using your bond with Jack?"

Bliss looked up, startled and hopeful, but the expression on Mimi's face stopped her dead. "I can't." Mimi said quietly.

"What?" Bliss whispered.

"I said I can't!" Mimi yelled, standing and pacing in a furious circle. "I can't track him, because I can't feel him." She scowled fiercely. She'd been avoiding thinking about that, but of course Schuyler couldn't leave well enough alone.

"But what does that mean?" Bliss asked. Schuyler raised an eyebrow. Clearly, Bliss either hadn't followed that thought to its logical conclusion like she had, or else her sister was simply refusing to accept the awful truth.

"It means…I don't know what it means." Mimi mumbled. She bent her head, her long blond hair tumbling in front of her face like a curtain.

Schuyler gulped, then took the plunge. "Mimi, is Jack…"

"No." Mimi hissed. She stood up and pushed her hair impatiently out of her face. Her green eyes glowed as she glared at Schuyler. "No. I'd, I'd know, I'd sense it, if he was…"

"Then where does that leave us?" Schuyler asked quietly. "If we can't follow the trail, and Mimi can't sense Jack, then how do we follow them?" She closed her eyes and sank down on the log that Mimi had vacated, rubbing her hands over her face. Calculating in the time they'd been unconscious, Oliver had been gone for almost six hours now. She didn't want to bet on his chances of surviving amidst a bunch of hungry vampires.

"Should we?" Bliss asked.

"What do you mean, Bliss?" Mimi said.

"I mean, are you sure we should follow them?" Bliss said. She sat down on a rock and tugged off her shoe, shaking out the dirt with distaste. When she looked up, the other girls were staring at her like she was crazy. "Look, I don't want to leave the boys anymore than you do, but we have no way of knowing where they are! Shouldn't we get Charles or someone who's got experience with this kind of thing and—"

"Absolutely not." Mimi said firmly. "My father is the whole reason we're in this mess in the first place. If he'd just listened and taken the threat seriously instead of pretending nothing was wrong, we wouldn't be here. Plus…" she hesitated, then plunged forward. "he doesn't have a reason to save any of the boys."

Bliss and Schuyler stared at her, shocked. "What do you mean?" Bliss asked. "Your brother...Jack's his son!"

Mimi snorted. "An illusion played out for the Red Bloods' benefit. Trust me, nothing would thrill my father more than having Jack out of the way. Not that he wants him turned into a Silver Blood," she explained, "but he's not going to take any risks just to save Jack, let alone a Red Blood and a wanted fugitive."

"But why—"

"Trust me, Schuyler, you don't want to know." Mimi said darkly, turning away. On the other hand…she paused and almost turned back. If she told Schuyler that Jack had been attracted to her mother, would that make Schuyler back off? Mimi shook her head, silently scolding herself. That didn't matter now. All that mattered was getting her twin back. A small part of her whispered that she also didn't want to hurt Schuyler's feelings, but Mimi resolutely ignored that.

"So what do we do?" Bliss asked. "We can't just wander around forever, hoping we'll find the boys."

"Maybe you're right." Mimi said with a sigh. "Not about going to my father." she added hastily. "Maybe you're right about following this trail, no matter where it goes. I mean, it must lead back to them eventually."

"And you've got lots of experience tracking Silver Bloods." Schuyler chimed in. "I bet you'll be able to follow the trail…Mimi?" She broke off as she realized her cousin wasn't listening. In the middle of turning to face them, Mimi had frozen, her back unnaturally straight and her eyes wide as she stared at something Bliss and Schuyler couldn't see.

"Mimi what's wrong?" Bliss said, noticing the same thing as Schuyler and moving towards her friend. "Are you hurt, or—"

"No." Mimi said hoarsely. "No!" she said again, and Schuyler suddenly realized she wasn't talking to them. "NO! Don't do this!" Mimi said, and Bliss and Schuyler exchanged alarmed glances. "There has to be another way! You don't have to—" She stopped suddenly, gasping for breath as she lowered herself to the ground. Bliss grabbed her arm and helped her perch on a rock.

"Mimi, what is it?" she said, crouching in front of her. Schuyler came over and sat next to Mimi, laying a hand on the girl's shoulder. With a shock, she realized Mimi was fighting tears.

"Mimi, talk to us." Schuyler said, trying to get the other girl to look at her. "Whatever it is—"

Mimi pulled away and abruptly stood up, facing away from them. She wiped her face, then looked at them dully. "I can track the boys." she said. "I can take you to where they are."

"That's great!" Bliss said, but Schuyler kept her eyes locked on Mimi.

"How? Why can you track them now when you couldn't two minutes ago? Mimi, what happened?"

"Jack's in pain." Mimi said, eyes blank and empty. "Kingsley's deliberately hurting him so I'll feel it. He wants us to know they're out here without being able to find them. I can't—I won't—go anywhere knowing that I'm leaving Jack behind. I'll be able to take us in the general direction they headed, but it's not like our bond. I'll feel his pain more sharply the closer we get, but I won't be able to pinpoint the exact location."

"Mimi…" Schuyler didn't know what to say. She could see the other girl trembling, her thin hands shaking as she tried to control herself. A horrible thought occurred to Schuyler. "Are you in pain too?" she demanded. "Is he hurting you as well?"

Mimi glared at her, but Schuyler knew it wasn't her Mimi was mad at. "It doesn't matter if I feel it physically or not." she said bitterly. "The knowledge of what they're doing to him because of me is what's meant to hurt."

"Is there…is there anything we can do?" Bliss asked, feeling woefully ineffective. Her friend was hurting and she couldn't help.

"Yes." Mimi said, biting out the word. "You can follow me and help rip that son of a bitch's heart out of his chest." She stalked away quickly through the trees, and this time Schuyler and Bliss didn't hesitate at all before following.

**Two chapters in one week? Is the apocalypse coming, you say? Well, yes it is, actually. At least in this story. Thanks to all readers/reviewers. Another chapter should be up in a few days. **


	26. Our Darkest Hour

**First off, MDLC owns Blue Bloods, title comes from Winston Churchill, and Oliver quotes Shakepeare at one point. I'm a little nervous about this chapter because it screws a bit with the rules of BB canon, but stick with me. Again, in this story, vampires can be injured. That's important.**

"Oliver! Oliver, wake up!"

"Huh?" Oliver came awake slowly, head sore from resting on the hard ground. He sat up with a groan, looked around, and promptly closed his eyes again. The damp cave, the barred door, the sputtering torch on the wall, and Dylan hadn't all been part of some bizarre, horrible dream.

"Someone's coming." Dylan told him, and Oliver opened his eyes, abruptly alert and wary.

"Jack?" he asked. Dylan shook his head grimly.

"He hasn't come back, and neither has Kingsley."

"So you've got our escape all planned, right?" Oliver asked, climbing to his feet as the sound of someone approaching reached his ears.

"Oh yeah. In minute detail." Dylan said, sliding his feet into a defensive pose as a group of Silver Bloods rounded the corner and approached their prison.

"Comfortable?" Kingsley asked, shoving his way rudely through the guards and coming up to the cage. Oliver's eyes widened as Kingsley stepped into the light. The other boy's face was slashed in three or four places, cuts congealed with dark blue blood.

"What happened?" he said.

"None of your concern, Red Blood." Kingsley said,

"Careful, Kingsley. Your hair's a little mussed. Someone might accidentally think you're straight."

Kingsley scowled, and behind him Oliver heard Dylan smother a laugh. "Cute." Kingsley said. "I wonder if you'll be able to joke after I've cut the tongue out of your mouth."

"Gonna turn me into a snack, Kingsley?" Oliver said, glaring at the other boy. Truth to tell he was terrified out of his mind, but he wasn't going to let this snobby, self-centered prick see it.

"Oh no." Kingsley said. "Your blood's too oxygenated for my taste. Besides, I've already eaten, thanks."

He turned away, calling over his shoulder, "Throw him in. And then send Kennedy out. The girls will be getting close, now that Azrael knows what I'm doing to her consort. They'll need Kennedy to guide them the rest of the way."

The guards moved forward, and Oliver gasped in shock as the bruised and bloodied body of Jack Force was dragged into view.

"What did you do to him?" Dylan demanded, moving to the side of their prison and yelling through the bars at Kingsley's retreating back.

Kingsley turned to face him, grinning devilishly. "I told you I already ate."

The Silver Bloods opened the cage door just enough to throw Jack inside, and Dylan and Oliver ran forward to grab him and hold him up. Oliver felt something sticky on his hand, and the sensation, combined with Kingsley's words and Dylan's outrage, gave Oliver the sudden, horrible realization of what Kingsley had done.

"He drank from him." Oliver said, revolted. "He drank Jack's blood."

Dylan nodded grimly, face tight as he slid to the ground next to Jack. As Oliver looked on in amazement, he took Jack in his arms and leaned the other boy's back against his chest. "Jack." Dylan said quietly. "Jack, can you hear me?"

Jack shuddered, teeth clenching in pain, and any reservations Oliver had about Jack—that he was popular, and well-liked, and good at sports, and Mimi's brother, and the epitome of all Oliver wished he could be—melted away. He knelt next to Dylan, moving Jack's unresisting arm aside to look at his injuries.

"What did he do?" he whispered, horrified. Jack's chest, arms, and shoulders were a miasma of cuts, some longer and thicker than others, all congealed with dark blue blood. His right shoulder in particular had a deep gouge, and blood was still trickling unabated from the injury. Under the dirt and bruises, Jack was frighteningly pale, his skin an odd bluish-white that did not seem healthy in the least.

"Knife." Jack said, voice so quiet and strained that the other boys would have missed it if they hadn't been holding him up. "Had a knife." Jack continued, voice fading even more as he spoke. "Cut me…let me bleed and…" he shuddered, eyes closing.

"And drank." Oliver finished quietly. He looked up, his eyes locking with Dylan's. Each boy saw his own rage and helplessness reflected in his friend's expression. "Is there anything we can do?"

Dylan shook his head. "If he doesn't get blood soon…" he broke off. "Well, you've seen Allegra."

"But doesn't Kingsley need him for the ritual?"

"Wants me weak." Jack rasped, startling the other boys. They thought he'd fallen unconscious. "Wants me weak enough that I can't fight back, that I'm useless…" He gasped and coughed, dark blue blood flecking his lips.

"Just relax, Jack." Dylan said, voice low. "Don't worry about that right now."

"Marchosias?" Jack said, green eyes glazed and confused. Oliver realized he was delirious and slipping in and out of the conversation.

"I'm here, Abaddon." Dylan said quietly. Oliver had never heard him speak to Jack like that before, with a strange combination of reverence and affection.

"Marchosias…Kingsley, he's—"

"He's gone, Abaddon. You don't have to—"

"No! Kingsley, he's Mephistopheles."

Dylan audibly gasped, his arm releasing Jack so the other boy would have slid to the floor if Oliver hadn't grabbed him and propped him up. "No." Dylan whispered. "No. You must be wrong. He must have lied to you, Jack—"

"Not lying." Jack rasped. "Once he…told me, I saw it. Should've seen it sooner…" he muttered, eyes sliding closed again.

"This is bad." Dylan whispered, as close to panicking as Oliver had ever seen him. "This is really bad. He's got everything he needs, if he can get the girls to come."

"Which they undoubtedly will." Oliver muttered. He made a face. "What about, ah, whatshername, Semael?"

"If Mephistopheles is nearby, I guarantee she's not far away." Dylan said. "Damn it." he added. "I'm sure this was his plan all along, to separate the twins and weaken Jack so they won't be strong enough to fight him. Abaddon and Azrael are the only ones who stand a chance against Mephistopheles and Semael, but even with our help there's no way Mimi can take them on by herself."

"So there's nothing we can do?" Oliver asked quietly. An idea had occurred to him, but it was—insane, to say the least.

"Unless you've got a spare bag of O negative…" Dylan said dryly.

"Not O negative." Oliver said slowly. "But what about B positive?" Dylan glanced up at him, confused, and his eyes widened in shock as Oliver pointed a finger at himself.

"Are you crazy?" Dylan hissed, dark eyes huge in his pale face. "You do realize what you're saying, right? You're offering to let Jack Force drink your blood."

"Look." Oliver said. He shifted so he was sitting upright, leaning Jack's dead weight on one arm. "You yourself said the only way to stop the Silver Bloods is with both Jack and Mimi. We know what they're trying to do—they're going to force the twins and Schuyler to take part in some kind of ritual, and then they're going to drain my blood, along with yours or Bliss's, all for the express purpose of bringing Lucifer back." He met Dylan's gaze squarely. "If my blood's going to be drained anyways, why not have it be for a good cause?"

Dylan hesitated, biting his lip. Oliver could almost see the wheels in his friend's mind turning. "We wouldn't need to drain all your blood." he said finally.

"Well that's a relief." Oliver quipped.

Dylan didn't laugh. "It's going to be dangerous." he said. "Jack's no novice, but…" he glanced down at the boy slumped unconscious between them. "he's starving. He's not going to be able to control himself. I'm going to monitor, but when it comes down to it he's stronger than I am." He locked eyes with his friend. "Understand?"

Oliver nodded grimly. He began unbuttoning the shirt he'd borrowed from Jack, but Dylan reached out and stopped him. "Oliver." he bit his lip. "There's, ah, more than one way to do this, you know."

Oliver glanced up at him, frowning. "What do you mean? Don't you just bite and suck?"

"Well yeah, but I'm sure you know there's a, um, _seductive_ element to it as well."

Oliver made a face. "I forgot about that." He glanced dubiously at Jack. "So does he have to, um, kiss me or something?"

"Not necessarily." Dylan said. "But Oliver, you're already Sky's familiar, aren't you?"

"Yeah. Does that mean he can't drink my blood?"

"Normally, yes. It would mean that after this you'd be Jack's familiar, not Schuyler's."

Oliver bit his lip. He didn't like the sound of that. "But you said there's another way."

"There is. It's something Blue Bloods don't like to talk about, because it goes against the code of how we're supposed to live our lives, but if a vampire is ever so starving that he literally needs to drink or end up like Allegra, there's a way to drink without making a human your familiar."

"But why wouldn't you want to—"

"Because you're going to drain them." Dylan said bluntly.

Oliver gulped, his hand sliding unconsciously to his throat. "And how—"

"You remove the element of seduction." Dylan said. "The vampire just rips—uh, bites—into the person's throat without beguiling and therefore dulling their senses."

"And if Jack did that—"

"If Jack did that, you would still be Schuyler's familiar. Provided you survived, of course."

"Of course." Oliver muttered. He let out a long breath. "Alright. I'll do it."

"You'll do it?" Dylan asked, startled. "Just like that? You don't want to think about it—"

"Time and tide wait for no man, and neither does the apocalypse. Unfortunately." Oliver said. "I'll think about it later."

"That makes no sense." Dylan said, but he nodded and took Jack from Oliver so the other boy could unbutton his shirt. "Oliver—just, why? I mean, I get that the idea of Jack seducing you isn't the most appealing one, but it's for a greater cause, and we don't even know if we're going to make it out of here alive, so—"

"I love her." Oliver said.

Dylan watched him, this human boy who was so much younger and inexperienced than any of the beings surrounding him, who was, according to Blue Blood law, inferior and unimportant in the grand scheme of things, yet who demonstrated a greater grasp of the things which they strove for—truth, and justice, and sacrifice, and selfless love—than any of the centuries-old Blue Bloods. "You're a good person, Oliver Hazaard-Perry." he said quietly, and Oliver offered him a small grin.

"Either that or a very stupid one." he said, folding the shirt and placing it out of the way. "Okay. So how do we do this?"

"Jack, can you sit up for a second?" Dylan said, shaking the other boy gently to wake him up. Jack groaned, but after a second his eyes opened, and Dylan was gratified to see that Jack actually seemed more aware of his surroundings this time.

"I can try." he said quietly, his voice almost gone. Dylan levered him until he was sitting upright against the wall before pulling away. Jack wavered for a second, then gripped part of the stone in his hand and kept himself balanced.

"Good. Jack, listen. We need you to drink from Oliver—"

"What?" Jack said, eyes widening in alarm. "No, that's too—I'm too weak, I'd kill him."

"That's what I'm going to prevent." Dylan said firmly. "And Jack, you need to just bite, okay? No tricks or fancy words or anything."

"But…" Jack's eyes rolled back and forth until he locked on Oliver's face. "You'll be in pain. Terrible pain. You don't need to do this for me."

"Actually, I do." Oliver said grimly. "Trust me, I'm even less thrilled about it than you are, but Jack, you're our only real chance of survival. We need you with us, as strong as possible, if we're going to make it out of this alive. So just—" Oliver broke off, realizing his voice was shaking. "Just shut up and start chomping." he said, but it didn't sound nearly as casual as he'd hoped.

Jack hesitated for only a second before nodding. "You're going to have to help me hold him." he told Dylan, and Oliver gulped.

"Oliver, sit next to Jack." Dylan ordered, his voice uncharacteristically hoarse. Oliver realized with a start that his friend was as frightened as he was. Great. Why did he get himself into these situations?

Oliver moved next to Jack, leaning back against the wall. The other boy gripped his shoulder and pulled himself up, kneeling next to Oliver and leaning all his weight of Oliver's shoulders. "Are you sure?" Jack asked quietly, his face inches from Oliver's. "Are you sure about this? I won't force you."

"I've seen Allegra Van Alen." Oliver replied. Jack nodded his head a fraction of an inch.

"Fair enough."

Oliver gulped as Dylan came and knelt on his other side, placing an arm around Oliver's chest. With a start, Oliver realized that Jack was hanging on to him less to keep his own balance and more to hold Oliver in place. Uh oh. This could not be good.

"Okay, Oliver, just lean back and tilt your head up." Dylan said, his voice deceptively soothing. Oliver did as he was ordered, his heart pounding in his chest. A part of him that was strangely removed from the situation noted that with Jack and Dylan sandwiching him in between their bodies, he was warmer than he'd been in days. The sensation only increased as Jack leaned forward and used his free hand to cup Oliver's chin, while Dylan snaked his other arm around Oliver's waist. Oliver made a solemn promise than when he told this story to Schuyler, certain details would be edited out.

"Ready?" Jack said, his voice a whisper in Oliver's ear."

"Just do it." he tried to say, but the words were stolen from his lips by the terrible scream that tore through him as Jack's fangs ripped into his throat. He tried to fight, to break free, to do anything to get away from the terrible pain, but Jack and Dylan's grip was solid. He opened his mouth to scream again, to beg for help, for them to stop, for death, for anything that would end the terrible pain, but an iron hand clamped over his mouth stopping the sound, and all Oliver see feel tastehearsmell was the agony, the never ending torment, until suddenly the world faded into blackness and he knew no more.

**If you haven't checked out the new trailer for **_**The Van Alen Legacy**_**, the link is on MDLC's website. **


	27. Mea Bellae Angelae

**Melissa de la Cruz owns Blue Bloods. The Latin phrasing in this chapter is different than the last time the same phrase was used. Simple explanation? My Latin's better now than it was then. This is the correct wording. The other's a little messed up.**

"How much further do you think we have to go?" Schuyler asked, trying not to drag her feet as they sloshed through a particularly muddy section of the forest.

Bliss made a tiny noise that may have been a reply, but also could have been a cry of mourning at the destruction of her Ugg boots.

Mimi glanced behind her, biting her lip as she looked at the other girls. Neither Bliss or Schuyler had said anything, but Mimi knew they must be exhausted. Night had fallen long ago, and after getting almost no sleep the night before, they were all tired. Mimi knew she had to make a decision—should they press on or stop—but she didn't want to. She knew what they _should_ do, but it was hard to convince herself to knowingly leave Jack in pain for longer than necessary. _On the other hand, it won't do him any good if the rescue team collapses before it gets there. _Mimi's practical side asserted, and she sighed.

"Guys, I think we should stop for now," she said.

"What?" Schuyler said, tripping over a root in surprise. "What do you mean? We need to find the boys!"

"I know," Mimi growled. "But we're all exhausted. None of us has slept or eaten in almost twenty-four hours. It won't do any good if we find Kingsley and let him capture us too because we're too tired to fight."

"So what should we do?" Bliss asked, already sinking down on a log.

"I say we take a break for four and half hours. We each keep watch for an hour and a half while the other two people sleep. Sound good?"

"I guess," Schuyler said, biting her lip and shoving her tangled black hair out of her eyes. She didn't like the idea of leaving Oliver with Kingsley for any length of time. God only knows what could happen to him.

"Sounds fine to me," Bliss said. "There's a clearing up ahead. Should we stop there?"

"Yeah," Mimi said, already leading the way. "It's not going to be comfortable, but at this point that doesn't really matter." She took a breath that turned into a yawn, shaking herself to stay awake. She hadn't realized how tired she herself was until right then.

"So who's taking what watch?" Bliss asked. The clearing they'd stopped in was overgrown with some sort of thick, tough grass that could withstand the cold. It wasn't the best place to sleep, but as Mimi said that didn't matter.

"I can go first," Schuyler volunteered. "I'm not that tired."

"I'll go second, and you can go last, Bliss," Mimi said, already flopping down on the ground. "Schuyler, poke me awake in an hour and a half."

"Yes ma'am," Schuyler said, settling herself against a tree. Bliss sat on the ground, intending to remove her shoes before sleeping, but before she knew it she'd lain down in the leaves and her eyes had shut tight.

She awoke some time later, and she squinted across the gloom to see a figure—Schuyler—shaking someone on the ground—Mimi. Mimi climbed to her feet and began pacing across the clearing as Schuyler collapsed on the ground and curled up into a ball.

Bliss watched her friend for some time, before determining that she wasn't going to fall back asleep. Oh well, she did feel a little better. And now she had a chance to ask Mimi something that she'd been wondering since this afternoon. Whether or not her friend would answer was an entirely different matter, but at the moment Bliss had nothing else to do.

"Mimi?" she called softly.

"What?"

Bliss turned over to face her friend. She couldn't see Mimi's face in the dark, only her silouhette outlined in the moonlight. "What did Jack say to you?" she asked.

Mimi frowned, unconsciously running a hand through her hair in agitation. "When?"

"Right before they took him and the other boys. He yelled something to you in, well, it sounded like Italian. What did he say?"

"It wasn't Italian, it was Latin," Mimi said absently. The wind blew, shifting the tree branches over head, and moonlight shone clear across the clearing, granting Bliss a two second glance of Mimi's face. To her surprise, she realized her friend had a tear running down her cheek.

"I didn't mean to upset you," Bliss said quietly. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"It's complicated," Mimi said, shifting uncomfortably on the ground. "I could translate it for you, but it wouldn't mean much without context."

"So tell me," Bliss said. Mimi hesitated. "It's not like you have anything else to do for the next hour."

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Mimi snapped.

Bliss sighed, rolling to lay on her back and stare up at the sky. "Can't," she said quietly.

"It was when we went hunting."

"What?" Bliss said, sitting up a little in confusion.

"You asked, I'm telling, so shut up," Mimi said sharply.

"Right. What were you hunting?"

"Silver Bloods. Traitors. Mostly it would just be the two of us—the rest of the Blue Bloods don't like to dirty their hands with nasty work like spying and murder, so it fell to Jack and I. And whenever we hunted them, we always stayed together, always kept each other in sight, so we wouldn't be tricked by a Silver Blood imposter. There were some close calls, but being together meant we could protect and watch out for each other, and we'd—" Mimi coughed, and Bliss realized she sounded a little embarrassed—"ah, _laugh_ off the tension later."

"That sounds frightening," Bliss said frankly. "And a little exciting, I guess."

"It was. More exciting than frightening, at least for us. But then there were other times, especially back near the beginning, when the Silver Bloods would try to organize and put together an army. It never worked, of course—Silver Bloods are self-serving above all else, and that doesn't work in an army, but we'd get these little renegade groups of twenty to fifty all together, and then Jack and I had to split up to lead other Blue Bloods out against the Silver Bloods. It made sense—we were the most experienced warriors, so we would guide everyone else, but it meant that we weren't together."

"And you worried."

"Naturally. Even though we could sense one another, feel if the other was in danger, or in pain—" Mimi stopped and winced "—it wasn't as if we could do anything about it. What Jack said…that phrase, it's something we used to tell each other before we went out on those big hunting missions."

Bliss said nothing, caught up in the thrall of Mimi's tale.

"Bona fortuna tamen numquam aeternum vale, mea bellae angelae," Mimi whispered, voice shaking.

"What does it mean?" Bliss asked, returning to her original question.

"Good luck but never goodbye, my beautiful angel."

"Oh," Bliss said softly. "So it's like a blessing or something."

"It's a promise," Mimi said, expression hard and determined. "It's a promise that no matter what happens, we'll always come back to each other."

Bliss nodded, turning that over in her head. "It must be nice," she mused.

"Hmm? What's that?" Mimi said. She'd turned away from her friend, staring off into the darkness, but she looked back as Bliss spoke.

"Knowing who your twin is, I mean." She took a deep breath. "I wish I knew."

"You think you do know," Mimi surmised, and Bliss glanced up in surprise. Either she was more obvious than she'd thought, or Mimi was freakishly perceptive. Maybe both. "You think it's Dylan."

"I don't think so—I mean, I don't really have any memories of my past lives yet. Not really. I hope it's him, but I don't know." She let out a sigh of longing, wishing upon one of the many stars overhead that wherever Dylan was, he was safe and unhurt. _Unlike Jack_, she thought uneasily, feeling a rush of sympathy for her friend. "Mimi?" she asked.

"What?" Mimi sounded impatient, but Bliss thought she was secretly enjoying the conversation. That was the particular skill it required to be friends with Mimi Force—the ability to look beneath all her posturing and haughtiness and discern what she really meant.

"You and Jack are lovers, right?"

Mimi drew in a sharp breath, and Bliss bit her lip as she glanced at her. It had been less than twelve hours since they stood in the clearing, but what with the walking in circles, Bliss had had plenty of time to think things through. Based on what she already knew of Jack and Mimi, and the little tidbits she'd gathered about vampire twins, combined with Kingsley's less than subtle revelation, Bliss had silently redefined her view of the Force twins.

"We are," Mimi said softly. She sighed, and Bliss sensed more was coming. "I mean, we used to be. In past lives."

"But not in this one?" Bliss asked, surprised. Considering the way they'd been at the 400 Ball, it made sense, or so she'd thought.

"I don't know," Mimi said, voice barely above a whisper. "I thought we were, or that we were headed in that direction anyways, but ever since—" she drew in a deep breath "ever since he got to know Schuyler last fall, things have been…complicated."

Bliss opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, Mimi kept going. "I love Jack more than anything in the world. There aren't words to describe the way I feel about him. I've loved him for as long as I can remember, for dozens of lifetimes, through vastly different circumstances and lifestyles. But just because I love him doesn't mean I can't see his flaws." She sighed and stood, pacing in an uneasy circle around the clearing as she spoke. Thanks to her vampire hearing, Bliss could pick up every word.

"It's something Schuyler doesn't quite grasp—that she's not old enough to grasp, frankly—that loving someone means loving them for who they are, not who you want them to be. I know Jack's a flirt, and a player, and occasionally irrational and over emotional. But I still love him. And he loves me, even though I can be, well…"

"Petty? Shallow? A bit of a bitch?" Bliss said, but her tone was kind.

"Yeah," Mimi said, and as she approached Bliss could see her friend had cracked a tiny smile. "My point is, I've accepted those things about Jack. I had to, if I wanted to really love him. But just because I've accepted it doesn't mean I have to like it, and Schuyler…"

"Schuyler loves Oliver," Bliss said. Mimi made a face. "Mimi, I know you can't see it, and I know you don't think that a vampire can love a human, but if that was true than Schuyler wouldn't be here. And even if…" Bliss hesitated, knowing she was treading on shaky ground "even if Schuyler is attracted to Jack, and vice versa, it won't last. Oliver knows her, Mimi, knows her just like you know Jack. And he still accepts her and loves her. No offense to Jack, but he doesn't know Schuyler nearly that well. They'll stop flirting eventually, and when they do, Oliver will be there for her, and you'll be there for Jack."

"It's just…" Mimi sat down next to Bliss's head, curling her feet under her knees. "It's hard, you know. Pretending that he's my brother when nothing could be further from the truth. And every day when we go to school or out in public or whatever, we have to put up this façade so no one will see what we're really feeling. And I'm afraid…I'm afraid that Jack has started to think that façade is real. I'm not his sister. I don't want to _be_ his sister."

"Why do they do that?" Bliss asked, sitting up and facing Mimi. "Why do they make vampire twins pretend to be siblings? Doesn't it just make things more complicated when you want to marry, or whatever it is that vampires do?"

"Yeah, but the logic behind it is that if you're raised with your twin, then you won't have to search for him or her." Mimi shrugged. "I think it's an outdated practice, personally. Especially now, when so many of us live in the same area. And it does make things weird. It was certainly an adjustment for me."

Bliss frowned. "You guys have never been twins before?"

Mimi shook her head. "Nope. We were always born to different families, and then we'd meet when we were, like, four or five, and well, the rest would be history." She let out an annoyed breath. "This cycle, the whole time I was growing up I could never understand why I felt so close to Jack. He was my brother, and that was it, so far as I knew. We fought, and we played, and we got in trouble together. And then when we became teenagers, my feelings…changed. And I didn't know why. I thought there must be something horribly wrong with me, because I was in love with my brother."

She snorted. "My brother. What a joke. I could never understand why I wasn't attracted to other boys—none of them ever held any interest for me, and I'd get bored and dump them, because that's what was expected."

"But you have so many boyfriends—"

"Familiars. I have a lot of familiars. And before they were my familiars, I thought if I dated enough boys, I'd connect with one the way I connected with Jack." She rolled her eyes. "Damn waste of time. Like I could ever feel about another boy the way I feel about him."

"How do you know?" Bliss asked. Mimi looked at her. "How do you know he's the one?"

"Well, I have my memories, for one…"

"No, outside of that. I mean, you said you felt something even before you knew what you were, and then after you knew what you were, you knew you were supposed to be with Jack even though you didn't have full access to your memories. How did you know?"

Mimi raised an eyebrow, looked at her friend shrewdly. "Still thinking about Dylan, then?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's sort of like you said. I dated all these guys in middle school and high school, before I moved to New York. But while some of them were nice, or funny, or whatever, I never felt any sort of connection with them. But then the first time I saw Dylan, it was like…something just clicked. He was so different than anyone I'd ever dated—I mean, at the time, I couldn't even fathom liking someone like him—and at first I resisted it, but when I'm around him, it's like I don't have to pretend any more. I don't have to the daughter of a senator, or a debutant, or, well, anything except what I want to be." She glanced up at Mimi, and saw she was smiling.

"I'll kill you if you tell anyone this, but I love reading _Harry Potter_."

Bliss blinked, mouth dropping open as she gaped at her friend. Whatever she'd been expecting Mimi to say, that wasn't it. "Um…what? You? You like Harry Potter?"

"Yeah," Mimi said, "I do. I was bored one summer at the beach, and I just sort of picked up the first book out of curiosity. I've been reading them ever since. But no one knows that. I used to hide them under my mattress."

"So what's your point?" Bliss asked. She was storing this information away for further examination—Mimi Force read Harry Potter!—but as interesting as it was, she didn't know why Mimi had told her.

"Like I said, no one knows I read them. But then on my fourteenth birthday I found the fifth book under my pillow. It hadn't even come out yet, wasn't due out for another week. But someone had gone to a lot of trouble to get it for me. Somehow, someone knew my secret, and they'd gotten the book for me. It wasn't the servants—they don't like me that much—and it certainly wasn't my parents. So that only left—"

"Jack," Bliss said.

Mimi grinned. "Yeah. So what you said, about not having to pretend around Dylan, about being able to be yourself when you're with him, even when you can't be yourself with anyone else…that's how you know. The person who can see through all the layers and the façade and the crap to your true core, who sees all your flaws and your faults and your failures and loves you anyways….that's your mate."

"I want it to be Dylan so bad," Bliss whispered. "But he only happened to come to New York, and we only met up by chance. We could have easily gone on ignorant of each other's existence. How do I know it's him?"

Mimi bit her lip, thinking. "Well, I'm not going to lie to you and say that of course Dylan's your mate, because I don't really know. But I'll tell you this. If he's not, when you do meet your real twin, it won't even matter. What you'll feel for him will be greater than anything you could feel for Dylan."

"But I don't want to love anyone else!" Bliss cried, remembering at the last second to lower her voice.

"Love isn't about wanting," Mimi said, and to Bliss's ears her voice suddenly seemed much older. "Love isn't a choice. You love someone or you don't—there's no if, ands, or buts involved. Of course, you have a choice whether or not you want to give in to that love—and it's a serious choice, because love can cause pain, and heartache, and all that other fun crap soap operas love to go on and on about. But the feeling of love, the emotional bond that ties you to another person, that's not a choice. Love happens, whether you want it to or not."

"Wow, Doctor Phil, thanks for that nugget of wisdom. I never thought I'd see the day when the Angel of Death saw fit to preach about love."

Bliss and Mimi spun around, Mimi coming to her feet in one smooth motion while Bliss scrambled up somewhat more awkwardly. They stared in the direction the voice had come from, trying to see through the thick trees. The voice had been female, and sounded close, almost as if the speaker was right on top of them.

**Good news is the next chapter's already written, and will be up in a day or two. I'm trying to put up as much of this as I can before the Van Alen Legacy comes out. **


	28. Starvation

**Blue Bloods belongs to Melissa de la Cruz. There should be a page break at some point, but if not…well, it should be pretty obvious. Sorry if it didn't work. **

"Get Schuyler." Mimi hissed to Bliss, who quickly moved across the clearing towards her sister. "Show yourself!" Mimi said loudly.

Bending over Schuyler while keeping an eye on Mimi, Bliss heard the person laugh. Without having seen who it was, Bliss already didn't like her. That laugh was proud, and contemptuous, and cruel. Whoever it was could not be a good person.

"Oh Azrael, Azrael, Azrael. So demanding."

"Schuyler, get up!" Bliss said, rolling Schuyler onto her side. The other girl sat up with a start.

"What's going on?" she asked, too loud.

"Is that her? Is that the mutant?" the voice asked, much closer to Bliss and Schuyler this time. Realizing she'd moved, Mimi hurried over to stand by the other girls.

"Schuyler, get up and be ready to fight or run," Mimi muttered, and to Bliss's relief Schuyler scrambled quickly to her feet and adopted a defensive pose. Bliss raised an eyebrow, impressed. Despite having just woken up, Schuyler had quickly assessed and adapted to the situation.

"Are you going to hide in the bushes and taunt us all night, or are you going to do the brave thing and show yourself?" Mimi demanded, calling in the direction the voice had come from last.

"Now _that's_ really ironic. You, lecturing me about bravery." They all spun around, and Bliss's eyes widened as she saw the girl who had appeared just behind them.

Since moving to New York, Bliss had become accustomed to the modeling world, and the positive and negative aspects of that particular culture. One of the unfortunate things was the need many girls—non Blue Blood girls—felt to starve themselves to keep up with the competition. Bliss had seem lots of slim girls—girls who were positively unhealthy, they were so thin. None of those models would hold a candle to the figure standing before her.

The girl was tall—taller even than Bliss, who was close to six feet—with long, long legs that Marc Jacobs would have died to get his hands on. Her limbs, her torso, her neck and even her face were all freakishly thin and concave, as if she hadn't eaten in days. Her cheekbones showed prominently, highlighting enormous blue eyes that looked as unnatural as the rest of her. She had long black hair, which fell to her waist and only added to the impression that she would blow away with the slightest breeze. Bliss looked away, sickened. There was nothing healthy about this girl, nothing natural, or decent, or whole. It was as if she was looking at a skeleton.

"Semael," Mimi breathed, eyes almost as wide as the girl across the clearing. For the first time she could remember since having known Mimi, a flicker of fear crossed her face.

"Got it in one," the girl—Semael—said, snapping long, thin fingers with a cracking of bone that made Bliss wince. "Although it's actually Kennedy, in this lifetime. And you're Madeleine, is that right, Azrael?"

"What the hell are you doing here?" Mimi demanded, ignoring the question.

"Oh surely Kingsley told you." she said, raising a razor-like eyebrow in surprise. "We're bringing about the end of the world, darling." She laughed, high and tinkling, and Bliss shuddered. "But really, where are your manners? You haven't introduced me to your little friends."

Mimi's mouth tightened into a thin line, and Bliss suddenly guessed that even outside of this girl's association with Kingsley, Mimi strongly did not care for her. "Bliss, Schuyler, this is Semael," Mimi said, voice clipped. "The Angel of Starvation."

"Wouldn't have guessed that one," Schuyler muttered, and Semael looked up sharply.

"You're her, aren't you? You're the freak who shouldn't exist." She looked Schuyler over, eyes narrowing, and then her mouth settled into a smug little smirk. "Clearly, the standards have changed since the time I was a Blue Blood."

"What do you want, Semael?" Mimi bit out, as angry and agitated as Bliss had ever seen her.

"I told you, darling, it's Kennedy now. And I'm here because Mephistopheles sent me to lead you to the boys." She pouted, eyes wide and innocent. "I have to admit, I didn't expect to find you gossiping and giggling while Abbadon lies on the brink of death, Azrael."

"Why are you doing this?" Mimi demanded, pain laced in her voice. "Why are you hurting him? You know I'd follow him wherever you took him, that he could show me himself."

"Actually, he couldn't, my dear. You see, he, along with Marchosias and that Red Blood are deep within the Caverna de Ligatio. So all bonds are blocked, going in and out."

"That's impossible," Mimi said, frowning. "The Caverna de Ligatio is just a myth."

"Oh I assure you it's not. Madeleine, right?—I can see there's a lot that Michael and Gabrielle have been keeping from you. No, the Caverna de Ligatio is very real, and also very close." She smiled suddenly, cruel and mirthless. "And he's there too, Azrael. He's been there for centuries, biding his time, waiting for the right moment. And now that Mephisopheles and I have found him, he's ready to be freed from that infernal prison they locked him in."

"Mimi, what is she talking about?" Schuyler asked nervously, shifting from foot to foot. Mimi glanced up, broken out of her train of thought, and when she spoke it sounded to Schuyler as if she were reciting a definition from a textbook.

"The Caverna de Ligatio was supposed to be a legend, something the Committee made up to keep rumors at bay. It means Cave of Imprisonment. It's supposedly where Michael and Gabrielle trapped the spirit of Lucifer after they vanquished him. Because they wanted to seal his spirit, they made it so no form of communication, even a bond, can go in or out." Mimi frowned suddenly, looking at Kennedy. "Mephistopheles is already there? I thought he was—"

"Oh didn't he tell you?" Kennedy said. "Kingsley is Mephistopheles."

Mimi's mouth dropped open in shock, and Bliss felt a distinct feeling of _oh shit_ go through her. She didn't know much about this whole apocalyptic angel mish-mash, but she knew the name Mephistopheles, knew what he represented, and knew they were now officially screwed.

"He's—" Mimi blinked and closed her eyes. "How blind have I become, that I can't recognize the enemy when he's standing right in front of me?" she said quietly, and Bliss realized she was actually ashamed.

"Yes, Kingsley thought it was quite amusing that you didn't see him for who he was, even after he sent you to burn in Venice," she sighed. "Pity that didn't work out."

Kennedy grinned, coming forward until she was standing right in front of them. Bliss fought the urge to run screaming in the other direction. "By the way, _Mimi,_" she said, tone mocking, "Kingsley wanted me to tell you that Jack's blood is _delicious_."

Bliss had a one second shot of Mimi's eyes going blank with rage before her friend dove forward, tackling Kennedy to the ground and locking her hands around her throat. "You _bitch_!" she cried, fingers digging into the other girl's bony neck.

"Mimi, stop!" Schuyler said, grabbing Mimi by the shoulders and attempting to haul her off Kennedy. Mimi growled and tried to shove her away, but Schuyler kept her grip. "Mimi, she said she can lead us to them. Please, this isn't productive."

Mimi stopped, sitting back on Kennedy's chest and releasing her throat. Bliss was mildly surprised that her ribs didn't crack under Mimi's weight. "You listen to me, you little skank," she hissed, leaning close to Kennedy's smirking face. "You are going to lead us to that cave. You are going to let us in, because I'm sure you know how."

"I was going to do that anyways," Kennedy said, sounding bored.

"I'm not finished!" Mimi snapped. Kennedy fell silent, one eyebrow raised. "And once we are in that cave, Jack and I are going to rip you and that sorry excuse for a vampire into tiny little shreds. So lead on, if you want, but know you are walking to your own death. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," Kennedy said. "Can you get off my chest now, Mimi darling?"

Mimi glared at her for a second longer, then allowed Schuyler to pull her to her feet.

"Well, that was fun," Kennedy said conversationally. "Shall we?"

"Wait," Bliss said, and they all looked at her in surprise. Kennedy glanced at Bliss at though she was a gnat buzzing around her head.

"Yes?" she asked, drawing out the word.

"Mimi and Schuyler and I need to talk before we go anywhere with you," Bliss said firmly.

"By all means," Kennedy said, waving her hand vaguely in the direction of the trees. "Take all the time you need. Just remember, while you're standing here chatting, Abbadon is losing blood. And he's sitting in a cage with a human being. Wanna bet how long he can hold out?"

"We'll just be a minute," Bliss said, speaking up before Schuyler and Mimi could object. "Come on," she said to the other girls.

They walked across the clearing, coming to a stop under the branches of a large pine tree. It was even darker here than out in the open, and Bliss had to squint to see their faces. "What is it?" Mimi asked impatiently.

"Are you guys absolutely sure we should follow her?" Bliss asked, directing her question towards Schuyler.

"It's not ideal, but she said she's going to lead us to the boys," Schuyler said, biting her lip. "I guess I just don't see how we have another choice."

Bliss nodded reluctantly. "Look, all I'm saying is there's a reason the Silver Bloods didn't take us too, and it isn't because they wanted us to play hide-and-go-seek. Not only did they not take us, but they left us Lucifer's Bane, the one thing they need above all else. I just think we should consider our options before walking into a trap."

"What options?" Mimi muttered, but she sighed and ran an agitated hand through her hair. "I get what you're saying, Bliss, and I think you're right about there being a reason. But I don't see how we have any other choice."

"Not right now we don't," Schuyler said slowly, and the other girls looked at her. "If Bliss is right, that there's a definite reason that they left us and the jewel behind, then that means we have the power. For whatever reason, they can't just drag us into the Caverna—whatever it's called—so that means we have some measure of control here. Maybe not now, but when we get closer we might be able to do something. And they need us for the ritual thingy, so they can't kill us." She looked up at Bliss and Mimi, who were staring back with surprise and respect in their eyes. "I think we go with her, and we keep our eyes open for our chance."

"I agree," Mimi said, and Bliss nodded. She didn't love it, but Schuyler raised good points.

"Let's go then," she said. "Into the dragon's mouth." She turned and led the way out from under the trees, back into the clearing.

"All set, are we?" Kennedy asked, shifting her weight from one bony hip to the other.

"Lead on," Bliss said, and Kennedy gave a tiny smile.

"Come, darlings, let's go. The boys are waiting."

They followed her deeper into the forest, squinting in the darkness as roots and brambles tangled in their feet. Kennedy floated on ahead, as serene as a model on a runway. Bliss fought to keep up, praying in the back of her mind that they weren't making a horrible mistake.

** OIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI**

"Hey! Hello! Is anyone out there?" Dylan paced to the other side of the cage, rattling the bars in frustration. "Well, if there is, you might want to tell Kingsley that we're going to need some bandages if he doesn't want his Red Blood dead before the ritual gets rolling."

Nothing. Dylan growled and stalked to the back of the cage, where Jack had laid Oliver flat on the ground and was using his shirt to staunch the flow of blood from his neck. "He's still breathing." Jack said quietly, voice a combination of worry and contrition.

"For now." Dylan said darkly, trying not to look too hard at his friend. It was like he'd predicted. Once Jack had gotten a taste of Oliver's blood, he hadn't wanted to stop. Dylan had managed to wrench him away from the human boy, but only after Jack had nearly drained him. Now, Oliver lay pale and listless on the floor, unmoving and seemingly unaware of his surroundings.

"Maybe it's better this way." Jack said, and Dylan spun to face him, eyes wide. "I mean, considering the circumstances." Jack said hastily. "It's just, if Kingsley needs a human to raise Lucifer, maybe it's better if Oliver—"

"Don't even finish that sentence, Force." Dylan growled, feet unconsciously sliding into an attack position. "You're the reason he's inches from death. Don't you dare tell me it's better if he dies." He gave Jack a withering look, and the other boy turned away. "And it's not as if he can't find another human easily enough."

"I—"

Whatever Jack had been about to say was cut off as someone—probably a Silver Blood—tossed a paper-wrapped parcel into the cage. Dylan hurried over and grabbed it, gratified to find it contained bandages, tape, and even a carton of orange juice.

"What happened?" A voice growled out of the darkness, and Dylan kicked out blindly behind him, catching Jack in the stomach and knocking him to the ground.

"I got thirsty, that's what happened!" he snapped, making his voice as caustic as possible. "I almost turned into a Silver Blood once, you know. And then you toss him—" vicious head gesture towards Jack, who had thankfully caught on and was curled on the floor—"in here, and it was almost too much to resist. I figured your master would prefer I drank from the Red Blood than risk draining Ja—Abaddon."

"Is the Red Blood still alive?" the guard asked, and Dylan could see that it was indeed one of the hulking Silver Bloods.

"Would I have asked for bandages if he wasn't?" Dylan asked acidly, and guard grumbled before turning away.

"That was quick thinking." Jack said, cautiously pulling himself up into a sitting position once he was sure the guard was gone. Dylan ignored him, and instead knelt by Oliver's side and began bandaging his friend's neck, wrapping the gauze tight enough to staunch the flow of blood but not so tight they choked.

"It's better if they don't know for now that Oliver fed you." Dylan said, propping friend's head up and pouring some of the orange juice past his parched lips. "If they knew, Mephistopheles would probably just drain you again."

"Thank you." Jack said quietly. "I shouldn't have said what I did. I just—" he shuddered, closing his eyes briefly. "I didn't anticipate Mephistopheles already being here. I thought we'd have more time to plan our escape, or at least for help to come. But now it looks like he'll be able to do the ritual within a day, depending on how quick the girls get here."

"You think they'll come?" Dylan asked.

"I know they will." Jack said darkly. "And assuming Semael's not far away—"

"I think she might actually be fetching the girls." Dylan said, laying Oliver's head back down on the ground and getting to his feet to pace. He was gratified to see a little color coming back into his pale cheeks. "Kingsley sent someone named Kennedy to fetch them. I was thinking that was a guard, but their names kind of match, so now I'm thinking—"

"I'm sure it's her." Jack said. "She always liked cutesy things like that." He snorted, and Dylan realized he was laughing, albeit without much humor. "Mimi's gonna love that. She and Semael have never gotten along, even before we split ways with them."

"Really?" Dylan said, surprised. Most of what he knew about the War for Heaven and the time preceding it came from his uncle's lessons, not his memories. He was only beginning to gain access to those, and certainly none of the older ones. "I thought you guys were like, the evil Fantastic Four or something. I mean, you're always spoken of together—the Horsemen, the Plagues, the Apocalyptic Angels—"

"I get it." Jack growled, looking annoyed. "But yeah. We all worked together, but Semael and Azrael never got along." He coughed indelicately. "It was sort of my fault, actually."

Dylan raised an eyebrow. "Do tell."

"See, Azrael—Mimi—is the oldest of the four of us. It makes sense, really—Death exists with or without Destruction and War and Famine. So she was born first, and then Mephistopheles, War, came into being. He was supposed to be her mate, but they never felt that way about each other. Then I was created, shortly after Mephistopheles, and Semael, the youngest, was supposed to be my mate."

"Don't tell me." Dylan groaned. "She loved you, you didn't love her."

"Oh I did, for a time." Jack said. He shook his head. "It all seems impossibly long ago now. But I did love her, mostly because I thought I was supposed to. But then Azrael started paying more attention to me—she was never overly fond of Mephistopheles, although they got on fine before the War—and, well," he shrugged, "the rest is history, I guess you could say." He glanced up at Dylan, and was shocked to see something close to rage on his face.

"You are unbelievable." he said, voice incredulous and disgusted. "You have got to be the worst player in the history of the world." Jack opened his mouth, but Dylan spoke over him. "What is it with you? Jumping from one girl to the next to the next like some sort of rake, or Casanova, or whatever. Love 'em and leave 'em, is that your policy?"

"You don't understand." Jack said tightly. "It wasn't like that. I—"

"Really? It wasn't like that? So what was it like, Jack? Explain to me how you've supposedly been in love with four different girls now, including two who were already involved with other people?"

"You're wrong." Jack said, hands shaking as he glared up at Dylan. " You're wrong. I never loved Semael, not really. And I've been faithful to Mimi for centuries."

"Yeah, because Gabrielle was too smart to let you anywhere near her." Dylan snarled. "And now that her daughter, her innocent, naïve daughter is within your grasp, you've finally found a way to get what you've always wanted." He stood, pulling Jack harshly to his feet and shoving him back. "Get away from me, and stay away from Oliver. He was willing to die to save your life, Jack, even after you've spent the last six months chasing after the girl he loves. You don't deserve to be anywhere near him."

"Dylan—"

"You disgust me." Dylan said flatly, eyes cold as he dared Jack to try and defend himself further. For a moment Jack stared at him, eyes pleading for understanding or forgiveness, but when he saw no quarter in his former page's eyes he slowly turned and walked to the front of the cage.

As Dylan turned away, Jack curled against the bars and stared out moodily into the gloom. _He's wrong_, Jack thought. _He doesn't understand_. But as he leaned his head against the metal bars and tried to get some sleep, Jack couldn't shake the feeling that perhaps Dylan understood all too well.

**Down, Jack fan girls! He'll be redeemed in the end, I promise. Another chapter soon.**


	29. Revelations

**Characters and title belong to Melissa de la Cruz. Enjoy. **

Trailing through the forest after Kennedy, Schuyler found herself with something she'd been lacking for the past two days: time. There was nothing they could do now but trail after her, marching relentlessly through the dark forest, and it gave Schuyler a chance to think.

She had not forgotten what Bliss had said when they woke up after the boys were taken. Why were they alive? And now that Kennedy had come to fetch them, why hadn't they been taken in the first place? She knew there had to be a reason that they hadn't simply been dragged into the mouth of the beast. It had to do with the Resurrection Spell, she was sure. There had to be some reason that Kingsley simply couldn't just drag them all to one location and start raising Hell, literally. But what could it be? Schuyler shook her head. She needed to start over from the beginning

Shooting a nervous glance at Kennedy, who was stalking ahead, long dark hair flowing like a cape, Schuyler slipped up next to Mimi and murmured to her cousin, "What are the ingredients needed to resurrect Lucifer?"

Mimi looked at her impatiently, ready to snap, and Schuyler hastily said, "It's not like you have anything better to do. Just humor me."

"Fine." Mimi said, rolling her eyes. "You were there too, you know. It said they need a Red Blood, a Blue Blood, the four Apocalyptic Angels, the Rose of Lucifer, and the blood of the uncorrupted. Why?"

"Nothing." Schuyler said distractedly. Okay. Time to break that down. The Red Blood and the Blue Blood could be anyone, and Dylan and Oliver had been convenient. It made sense for Kingsley to take them. Two of the four Apocalyptic Angels were behind this insane scheme, and they'd also taken Jack, and left Mimi behind to serve as a guide.

"It probably didn't matter which one they took." Schuyler muttered to herself. It could have been Mimi or Jack. As long as they could make one of the twins feel pain, the other would be able to lead them in the general direction of the cave. Schuyler frowned, eyes narrowing as she looked at the muddy ground. It had to be her or Bliss. That was the only explanation. It had to be something about her and Bliss.

"What's that?" Mimi asked, and Schuyler looked up, startled. She'd completely forgotten she was walking next to the other girl.

"Nothing." she said again. "Just thinking out loud."

"Think quieter." Mimi advised her snidely, but Schuyler didn't even bother with a retort. What about the Rose of Lucifer? That was the piece that really didn't fit. Why leave behind the one object they needed most of all? She and Bliss and Mimi had all been unconscious on the ground. It would've been the work of seconds to search them before taking the boys away. And as for the blood of the uncorrupted…Schuyler bit her lip.

"Bliss! Bliss!" Schuyler hissed, grabbing her sister's arm to get her attention.

"What's up, Sky?" Bliss asked, with a nervous glance ahead at Kennedy, who had stopped and turned to look at them.

"Anything wrong?" she asked sweetly, her large doe eyes blinking in her concave face.

"There's a big spider in my hair." Schuyler said, grimacing. "I'm really scared of spiders. Bliss is just helping me get it out."

Kennedy rolled her eyes and turned away, and Bliss and Schuyler breathed a sigh of relief. "What's going on?" Bliss asked quietly, after Kennedy started walking and Mimi followed her.

"Bliss, why did you inherit the jewel?" Schuyler asked quietly. "Why was it given to you?"

"I don't know." Bliss said, looking surprised. "My father just told me it belonged to my real mother. I didn't even think much of it until all of this happened."

"But why? Why give it to you? Is there a will, or something?"

"No." Bliss said.

"Yes." Mimi said, breaking into the conversation and startling the two girls. "Play along." she hissed, before saying loudly, "My god, Half Blood, what the hell is your problem?"

Schuyler's eyes flew open, and it took her a second longer than it should have to catch on. "Um, I don't have one, what's yours?" she said awkwardly, speaking as loudly as Mimi. Her cousin rolled her eyes.

"Pathetic." she muttered, then called out, tone exasperated, "For the last time, we cannot stop and take a break. The boys need us! Your pathetic excuse for a familiar is pining away without you." Kennedy stopped and looked back at them, head tilted to the side on her stick like neck as she watched them with interest.

"Gabrielle's will said it was supposed to go to her daughter after she was formally presented at the 400 Ball." Mimi hissed. She glanced at Schuyler. "Whatever you're on to, figure it out quick. We're getting close, I can tell. Do you need another distraction?"

Schuyler bit her lip. "Maybe. Just keep Kennedy from paying attention to me?"

Mimi smirked. "Please. Give me something challenging." She hurried on ahead, and Schuyler breathed a sigh of relief. With Mimi drawing Kennedy's attention, she could talk freely to Bliss for a minute.

"I don't get it though." She told her sister. "If it was supposed to go to one of us after we were presented at the 400 Ball, why did your father give it to you already? You haven't been presented yet, right?"

Bliss shook her head. "I don't know why he gave it to me. Maybe he didn't know about the will?" Schuyler bit her lip. That didn't make any sense either.

"If he didn't know about the will, then why did he have the jewel?"

"I'm not sure. Unless…" Bliss hesitated, and she looked uncomfortable. Up ahead, Mimi and Kennedy were speaking in raised voices, and Schuyler knew she'd probably have to stop them from killing each other in a minute.

"Unless what?" She asked Bliss impatiently.

"Unless he wasn't supposed to have it." Bliss mumbled, looking quickly down at the ground.

"What? Why would he—"

"I don't know, okay?" Bliss snapped, a little louder than necessary. "I just know that when I wore it to the ball, everyone was staring at me like I committed some sort of cardinal sin. And my father was so weird about giving it to me, and now we find out that actually I shouldn't have it at all, and—"

"What are you talking about?" Bliss and Schuyler looked up, startled, and automatically flinched back. Kennedy had somehow appeared right behind them without either girl noticing. She smiled at them, the skin on her face pulling tight over her cheekbones. "Please, tell me. I just _love_ a juicy piece of gossip."

"So, Kennedy, how have things been between you and Kingsley?" Mimi called loudly, coming up to the other girls. "Everything peachy keen?" she asked pertly.

"We're fine." Kennedy said stiffly. "Not that it's any of your business, Azrael."

"So," Mimi said, planting herself in front of Kennedy and drawing the attention away from Bliss and Schuyler, "have you two bonded yet this cycle? I hear Paris is all the rage these days, but then I suppose some would say it's a little cliché, if you know what I mean. On the other hand, Tierra del Sol is supposed to be nice this time of year—"

"Shut up!" Kennedy shrieked, her voice going high and shrill as she whirled away from Mimi. "Just mind your own business, Mimi. You don't know what you're talking about." Schuyler watched the exchange, eyes wide. Clearly what Mimi had said had upset Kennedy, but she couldn't imagine why.

Her cousin just smirked, and quirking an eyebrow, asked, "Oh, I'm sorry, have I upset you? Was it something I said?" She paused and slapped her forehead dramatically. "Oh god, how insensitive of me! How could I have forgotten? Mephistopheles won't bond with you, will he, Semael?"

Schuyler could see all the bones in Kennedy's back stiffen, and a resounding silence filled the clearing following Mimi's words. Schuyler winced. So that was what Mimi knew.

Slowly, Kennedy swung back around, and Schuyler felt her stomach drop. The look on her face did not bode well for Mimi. "You're right, darling, he's still refusing, but it's only a matter of time. Although what was he was telling me about you and Abaddon? Something about a broken bond, a secret romantic liaison, a crush on a—" she spun suddenly to face Schuyler, her face alight with savage glee "—half-blood?"

Mimi's eyes flickered to Schuyler's face, and for one second Schuyler saw raw vulnerability in her face before Mimi's expression hardened and she turned towards Kennedy. "You heard wrong" she said calmly. "The half-blood? Not even a factor."

Schuyler winced and turned away, her eyes closing briefly. She'd thought Mimi had finally moved past this, this need to demean Schuyler and make her feel like she was completely worthless. On the other hand, she could understand and even sympathize with Mimi's vulnerability. She wished she could tell Mimi that she didn't have any feelings for Jack, but it simply wasn't true. She didn't know why, but she was drawn to him in some way, connected by a bond she couldn't quite define. Whatever it was, she knew there was a resonance between them that would never go away.

"Um…guys?" Bliss asked, breaking Schuyler's train of thought. "Sorry to interrupt, but…don't we have somewhere to be?"

"Right." said Kennedy, swinging abruptly off, her long legs carrying her quickly through the forest. The other girls followed after, Mimi and Schuyler silently glaring daggers at each other while Bliss awkwardly kept herself between her best friend and her sister.

They walked for another two hours, until the sun started to dip below the horizon. With a shock, Schuyler realized it must be close to four o'clock in the afternoon. They'd been walking for almost twelve hours. How much distance had they covered, she wondered. And were they going straight to their destination, or was Kennedy leading them in circles?

Well, Mimi would tell them if she was, Schuyler reasoned, before remembering that she wasn't very happy with Mimi at the moment. She shook her head, so lost in thought that she literally walked into Bliss's back before realizing they had stopped.

"I'm going to leave you for now." Kennedy said, and Schuyler looked up in surprise.

"Why?" she asked automatically.

"Sad to see me go?" Kennedy asked, putting on a pouty face.

"Hardly." Mimi snorted. "Where are you going?"

"_I'm_ going back to the Caverna de Ligatio. _You_ are going to wait here like good little girls until I come fetch you at 11 PM." Kennedy said, smirking and twirling a strand of her long dark hair around her fingers.

"What happens at 11?" Bliss asked nervously.

Kennedy grinned at her, face looking exactly like a skeleton. "Don't you know that all satanic rituals take place at midnight, dearest? I'm getting you at 11 so we'll have time to…set everything up before the big show."

"And why can't we go with you now?" Schuyler demanded, ignoring Kennedy's caustic words. To see Oliver again, to hug him and make sure he was all right…

"Can't have you spoiling the party before it's even begun." Kennedy said cryptically. "No, you just stay here and…talk about the spring fashion line, or paint your finger nails, or something. I'll come get you when it's time."

"And if we follow you?" Mimi challenged.

Kennedy shrugged, disinterested. "Then I'll lead you on a wild goose chase all around the forest, dear. It doesn't really matter to me. I just figured you'd rather sit and wait then ruin your outfit. Not that it could get much more ruined." She added with a smirk, running her eyes up and down Mimi's Target ensemble.

"And when you come and get us?" Bliss asked, trying with little success to squash the butterflies in her stomach.

Kennedy narrowed her eyes, considering them for a moment. Then she shrugged, disinterested. "I supposed it doesn't matter if you know. It's the Rose of Lucifer." she said, and Schuyler felt something strangely like triumph. She'd been right. "It can't be taken by force. It has to be passed willingly from one person to the next. The daughter of Gabrielle has to give it to Kingsley for the ritual to work."

She turned to them, raising one pencil-thin eyebrow in distaste. "If you want to see Jack and the Red Blood and whateverhisnameis ever again, you'll follow me when I come for you, and you'll get a chance to say your final goodbyes to the boys. You might want to work on a speech, or something."

"Just stay, poppets." she ordered, watching them with keen eyes as she stalked backwards through the forest. Schuyler savagely hoped she'd walk into a tree, but she simply kept going until she was out of their sight before turning and stalking quickly away.

"Are we going to follow?" Bliss demanded, turning to Mimi. "Even if we couldn't track her, we could use the feelings you're getting from Jack—"

"No we couldn't." Mimi said quietly.

Schuyler and Bliss frowned at her. "What do you mean?" Bliss asked.

Mimi glanced around, eyes darting from side to side as she ascertained that Kennedy was truly gone. "I didn't want to tell Semael, but he's not in pain any more. It's been fading gradually for hours now, and it finally went away about three hours ago."

"But how's that possible?" Schuyler said, frowning. "The only way for him to heal that quickly would be to drink blood, and there's no humans out here except for…" she trailed off, the blood draining from her face as the horrible realization hit her. "NO!" she yelled, spinning and sprinting off after Kennedy, vampire speed giving her feet wings.


	30. The Van Alen Legacy

**Hey everyone. Melissa de la Cruz owns it all. IMPORTANT NOTE: First, this story has no correlation with my other Blue Bloods fanfiction. Second, keep in mind that NOTHING after Masquerade is canon in this story. Thirdly…no matter what couple you ship, just read to the end. Trust me. **

Schuyler made it no more than a quarter of a mile before iron arms clamped around her waist and tackled her to the ground. She yelled and tried to twist away, but Mimi was stronger and had the advantage of the higher ground. "Schuyler, hold still!" Mimi growled, using her body to pin the smaller girl. Bliss came crashing up to them, her movements less graceful than either of the other girls' as she dropped to the ground next to Mimi.

"Schuyler, chill out!" she told her sister.

"Let me go!" Schuyler cried wildly, thrashing to get away from Mimi. "I need to go to him! Oliver! Olive—"

"He's not dead, okay?" Mimi yelled, her face inches from Schuyler's. Schuyler stopped fighting, her chest heaving as she stared up at Mimi.

"How do you know?" she whispered.

Mimi looked away, biting her lip. "I know because Jack only healed gradually, okay? If he'd drained Oliver completely, he would have healed in an instant. The fact that it took so much time tells me that it couldn't have been enough blood to kill him."

"You knew." Schuyler realized, simultaneously shocked and horrified. "You knew what he was doing all along and you didn't say anything."

"Of course I didn't, because I wanted to prevent _this_." Mimi said, gesturing wildly around them. "I knew you'd go tearing off like the hounds of hell were after you the second you thought he was in danger. And that wouldn't have accomplished anything, especially since your surprise at my telling you tells _me_ that you had no clue what was going on."

"Why didn't I?" Schuyler wondered, the thought disconcerting her. "Why couldn't I feel Jack drinking from him?"

"The Caverna de Ligatio blocks all bonds except the most intense emotions, like pain. If he'd died, you'd have known."

Schuyler glared up at her. "Get off of me."

Mimi sighed and stood up, rolling her eyes. Bliss pulled Schuyler to her feet, hanging on to her hand in case she decided to go tearing off through the forest again  
"So we just wait?" Schuyler asked, tone indicated just how much she liked that plan.

Mimi shrugged. "You got a better idea, half-blood?"

"What did you just call me?" Schuyler snapped, although she'd had no trouble hearing what Mimi had said. She was tired and bored and scared, which probably explained why right now, picking a fight with Mimi Force seemed like a pretty good idea.

"You heard me." Mimi said, eyebrows arched as she glared down at Schuyler.

Schuyler shook her head, laughing in disbelief. "You're a bitch, Mimi, you know that? Taunting everyone because you think you're better than them, walking around with an entourage of sheep who obey your every word and every whim, and you think they actually like you? You're disgusting." She turned away from Mimi, keenly aware that Bliss was watching them, eyes wide and uncertain about what she should do.

"Maybe I am a bitch." Mimi said, grabbing Schuyler's shoulder and spinning her around. "But I've never stolen anyone's husband, never tried to go after a guy I knew was taken, let alone chased after someone who already told me clearly to _back off!_"

"Is that what this is about?" Schuyler cried, exasperated. "You're pissed at me because of Jack? Mimi, I was ready to kill him ten seconds ago for laying a hand on Oliver! Yeah, I like him, okay? I feel a connection with him. I do. But I'm not trying to steal him from you! All the flirting and…whatever else happened…were initiated by him! It's not my fault if he's unfaithful."

Mimi stepped back as though Schuyler had slapped her, her eyes closing as she took a deep, shuddering breath. Schuyler waited, hands on her hips as she glared at Mimi. Bliss came up next to her and laid a hand on her sister's shoulder, but Schuyler ignored her. This was between her and Mimi, and it had been brewing for a long time. It was well past time they already had it out. Admittedly, she wouldn't have chosen to do this in the middle of the Adirondacks while waiting for the Apocalypse, but she wasn't going to avoid it any longer.

"I know." Mimi finally said, voice so soft that Schuyler nearly missed it. "I know, okay? I know that he's the one who flirts with other girls, who decides he's in love with a new person every three centuries or so. I know all that. I was there, every time. And I was just going to wait for him to get over you, too. But…you guys have a connection. You do. And it frightens me."

"It frightens me too." Schuyler said quietly. "I don't know what it means, or what I'm supposed to do about it, but it's there. And I'm not going to deny that any longer. As much as I love Oliver—and I do—there's something between Jack and I. And it isn't going away."

"Hey. Um, not to break this up, but…shouldn't we talk about what Kennedy said, and try to, I don't know, come up with a plan or something?" Mimi and Schuyler both turned to look at Bliss, blank expressions indicating they'd momentarily forgotten her presence entirely.

"Oh. Right." Mimi said, shaking her head as if to throw off the conversation. "We don't have much time before Kennedy comes back. It would be nice if we had some sort of plan before that happens."

She glanced at Schuyler, and Schuyler saw in her gaze that this conversation had only temporarily been put on hold. She nodded subtly to let Mimi know she understood. There were more important things to worry about now. Things like the Apocalypse. Mimi moved to sit on a nearby log, and Bliss settled next to her while Schuyler curled up on a flat boulder facing them.

"Mimi, do you know what Kennedy was talking about?" Bliss asked. "That whole thing about the Rose of Lucifer having to be passed willingly from one person to the next?"

"I'd never heard it before, but Gabrielle has always owned the jewel, and while she was cycled out she'd just give it to Lawrence or Cordelia. I don't know much about it, really." Mimi admitted, shaking her head. "But it makes sense that if someone wanted to actually use Lucifer's Bane they'd have to have it formally handed to them by Gabrielle, though. It's a dangerous and powerful weapon. There's a reason it was entrusted to her."

"So that's why they couldn't just up and take it." Schuyler realized. "Kingsley knew if he grabbed it or dragged us in by force, the jewel would be useless. And he couldn't take Bliss or I because he doesn't know which of us inherited the jewel."

"So what about Mimi?" Bliss asked. "Why wasn't she taken?"

Schuyler made a face. "He needed some way to draw us close to the cave, some incentive to keep us from simply running to the Committee for help. Mimi was sort of a…GPS." she said, shrugging apologetically at Mimi. "I guess Mom must have given the jewel to your father before she met my father, and that's why you inherited it." she told Bliss.

"That doesn't make sense, though." Bliss said, shaking her head in disquiet. "Why would she leave him the jewel if she didn't know she was going to fall into a coma? It doesn't make sense."

Schuyler made an uneasy face. "Unless she was already with my father while she was pregnant with you…when's your birthday?"

"It's Valentine's Day." Bliss said, smiling. "I always used to think that people were giving each other cards and candy in honor of my birthday….Schuyler?" she asked, frowning as she looked at the other girl. Schuyler's eyes had gone wide, her face white as she stared at Bliss.

"What year?" she whispered. "What year were you born?"

Mimi watched them, frowning. "What does it matter what year she—"

"1990." Bliss said, confused. "Why?"

"That's impossible." Schuyler breathed, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Why? Schuyler, what's wrong?" Bliss said, reaching out and touching Schuyler's arm.

"You were born on February 14, 1990." Schuyler said. She gulped. "I was born on August 29…1990."

Mimi stared, suddenly realizing why Schuyler was acting so shell-shocked. "But that means you guys are only six months apart in age!"

"You're not my sister." Schuyler said, staring at Bliss, askance. "There's no way. It's impossible."

"No!" Bliss said, digging frantically in her pocket. "I have a picture to prove it." She pulled out a crumpled photograph and quickly spread it out on her knee as Schuyler and Mimi leaned in close. In the picture, Schuyler's mother was leaning against a red convertible, her arm looped casually around a man who was undoubtedly Bliss's father. Her other hand rested carefully on her very pregnant belly.

Schuyler stared down at the picture, disconcerted. "Maybe she was pregnant with me and just…visiting your father?" she suggested hesitantly. "I mean, it looks like it's summertime, so—"

"It's Texas." Bliss cut her off. "It always looks like summertime.

"See if there's a date on the back?" Mimi suggested, sounding as blown away by Schuyler's realization as Bliss felt. Bliss flipped over the photo, squinting at the faded blue ink.

"It says Forsyth and…I think that's supposed to be Allegra, although it just says 'leg,' March 19—the rest of the date's cut off." She sighed, leaning back on the log and feeling very let down for some reason. "It's March, so she must have been pregnant with you, not me, Sky. I guess you're right. I'm not your sister after all."

"Sorry." Schuyler said apologetically. "I liked thinking of you as my sister, even if it wasn't real."

"Wait." Mimi said slowly.

"What is it now?" Schuyler asked with a sigh. She'd already had two unpleasant surprises in the past half hour. She didn't need another one.

"Allegra's not pregnant with you, Schuyler." Mimi said, taking the picture from Bliss and squinting at it.

"What do you mean?" Schuyler asked. "Of course she is. Bliss was born in February, remember? That photo was taken in March. So it must have been me."

"It's not." Mimi said definitively. "You were born in late August, right?" Schuyler nodded, mystified. Mimi held the picture out for them to see. "It's March, so if she was pregnant with you, Allegra couldn't be more than four months along in this picture. Trust me, she's much further along than four months. She had to be late in her second trimester, about six months along, when this was taken."

"Maybe you're wrong." Schuyler said, shaking her head. "I mean, it's an old photo, right? So maybe you're looking at it—"

"I've been pregnant over one hundred times in the past millennia." Mimi cut her off. "Trust me. She's more than four months along."

"So can we find my real half-sister before the ritual?" Schuyler asked, making a face. "Do we even have time?"

"What does it even matter?" Mimi asked, rolling her eyes impatiently.

"It matters because I haven't been presented at the 400 Ball." Schuyler said. "I won't be able to give them the jewel, right? I mean, wasn't that a stipulation of her will?"  
"Maybe that's a good thing?" Bliss said, looking hesitantly hopeful for the first time since she'd learned that Schuyler wasn't her sister. "I mean, if you can't give them the jewel, then the ritual won't work, right?"

"You willing to bet money on that?" Mimi asked darkly. "I have a feeling one little clause isn't going to stop them."

"Maybe that won't." Schuyler said slowly, her face alight with a grin. "But what happens if they can't get the blood of the uncorrupted?"

"What do you mean?" Mimi asked, frowning at Schuyler. "You're not going to do anything stupid like try and off yourself, right? We've got enough problems without you getting all self-sacrificial."

"That's not what I mean." Schuyler said, shaking her head impatiently. "You said it yourself, Mimi. I'm a half-blood. My blood is only part 'uncorrupted.' I bet my human blood has diluted it."

"So they're going to drain me, thinking I have uncorrupted blood?" Bliss said, face pale.

"I…" Schuyler paused, frowning as she realized that as far as Kingsley knew, Bliss was the daughter of Gabrielle. "Yeah." she whispered softly. "Unless we can find someone born in June of 1989 and get her here…" she shook her head. "Can you guys think of any Juniors at Duschene—or anywhere, for that matter—with a June birthday?"

"I think Soos Kemble's birthday might be in June." Mimi said, making a face. "But somehow I can't see her as the daughter of Gabrielle."

"Well, you never know," Schuyler started, but she cut off as she looked at Bliss's face. Bliss's eyes were wide, a look of dawning comprehension on her face.

"Not June." she said softly.

"What do you mean, not June?" Mimi asked impatiently. "I'm almost positive she's six months pregnant in that photo. Okay, maybe someone born in July, but no later than that—"

"No. Not July." Bliss said. "May."

"But how could she have a baby in May? She'd be too premature!" Schuyler said. "A typical pregnancy cycle is 40 weeks. That's nine and a half months, give or take."

"A _typical_ pregnancy cycle is 40 weeks." Bliss agreed, her tone still odd. "But what if it wasn't a typical pregnancy? What if it was the type that only happens, oh, say, once in every ninety pregnancies? And if that were the case, then it would be safe to assume that she'd give birth up to a month early."

"Once in every…Bliss, what are you getting at? What's this rare form of pregnancy, and why would you think my mom had it?" Schuyler demanded. What was Bliss saying? How did she know that exact number?

"I know what's she's talking about." Mimi said abruptly. She glared at her friend. "And it's impossible. You're wrong."

"Is it?" Bliss challenged, standing up and looking down at Mimi. "Is it really impossible?"

"Yes." Mimi said, her voice just as sharp. She stood up and faced her friend, her face tight and stressed. "You're wrong, Bliss." she said, and for reasons Schuyler couldn't comprehend she actually sounded angry.

"Would one of you just tell me what the hell is going on here?" Schuyler demanded, turning from Bliss to Mimi and back as they continued to glare daggers at each other. Whatever they were arguing about, she was clearly missing the subtext.

"It's twins, okay?" Mimi snapped, turning on Schuyler even as she continued to shake her head in disbelief. "Twins are born earlier than singletons. And what Bliss is getting at…" she broke off with a frown. "No. There's no way."

Schuyler shook her head, still bewildered. "But what does it matter? What does that have to do with anything?"

Bliss broke off her staring contest with Mimi and came over to put a hand on her shoulder. "Schuyler," she said quietly, and Schuyler looked up at her, concerned. She didn't like Bliss's tone of voice. "Sky…Jack and Mimi were born on May 21, 1989."

**Please don't hate me.**


	31. Masquerade

**Melissa de la Cruz owns it all. Last update before The Van Alen Legacy…**

"That doesn't necessarily mean we're related!" Mimi snapped, pacing in a furious circle as Schuyler gaped in shock and Bliss watched both girls with a nervous, almost guilty expression. "Bliss, you're dead wrong. Just because Jack and I happen to be born in May doesn't mean that Allegra is our mother."

"Hey, don't kill the messenger." Bliss said, raising her hands defensively. "I'm just saying. It makes a lot of sense, when you think about it."

"How?" Schuyler asked softly. She was glad she was sitting down, because otherwise she might have fallen over. "How does that make any sense?"

Bliss sighed, wondering if Schuyler and Mimi were being purposefully dense, as if their denial would make in any less true. "Guys, Gabrielle and Michael have bonded every cycle since, like, the beginning of time. I mean, I don't have full control of my memories and even I know that. It makes a lot of sense that they would've been together, at least until Allegra met Schuyler's dad. Allegra gave birth to Jack and Mimi, and then she met your dad, Sky, and left Charles. That puts you guys at fourteen months apart in age. That's plenty of time for Allegra to fall in love with another person."

Mimi opened her mouth to say something, then snapped it closed. She took a deep breath, and when she looked up Bliss had the distinct impression she was clamping down on her temper. "Suppose for just one second that you're right. Not that I think you are, but just suppose. How do you explain my mother? Why has my father been lying to us for years? And why was Allegra in Texas while she was pregnant—if she was pregnant—with Jack and I?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure there's a good explanation. And maybe…" Bliss made a face. "Maybe your dad didn't want anyone to know that Allegra had left him even after having kids with him." She glanced at Schuyler who was staring at the ground, long dark hair obscuring her face. "Sky? Are you alright?"

"It makes sense." Schuyler said, so softly that Bliss had to lean closer to hear. "It actually makes sense." She glanced up at the other girls, and to Bliss's surprise her expression was bitter. "Hand me that picture?" she asked, and Mimi handed it to her, expression as puzzled as Bliss's.

"Look." Schuyler said, holding it up to the light. Bliss and Mimi exchanged glances. They couldn't see anything they hadn't noticed before.

"What, Sky?" Bliss asked. "What are we looking at?"

"My mom." Schuyler said softly. She took a shaky breath, and Bliss could see tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. "Everyone's always telling me I look just like her, but I don't. I mean, we've got roughly the same facial structure, but other than that…I'm short, and I have blue eyes, and black hair. My mom is tall, and blonde, and has green eyes." She glanced up, locking eyes with Mimi. "Sound like anyone you know?"

"Wow." Bliss said, taking the picture from Schuyler's unresisting hand and holding it up next to Mimi. "Wow. You guys are like, twins."

"But…" Mimi said, looking helplessly from Schuyler to the photo and back. "Maybe—"

"The book, Mimi." Schuyler said suddenly, and Bliss started at the non sequitor. "The book was speaking to you, recognizing you as Gabrielle's daughter, not me." She shook her head, angrily dashing the tears out of her eyes. "I should have known I wasn't considered her legitimate daughter. After all, I'm a half-blood, right? I'm not as good. I'm worthless, in fact, in the Blue Blood sense of things."

"Oh please, spare me the pity party." Mimi said sharply, glaring at Schuyler. Bliss stared at her, aghast at her friend's rudeness, but Mimi waved her off before she could say anything. "In about two hours, Semael is going to come and fetch us, and force us to help her and Mephistopheles raise hell, literally. If we don't go along, they'll probably just kill the boys out of spite. Now, we can sit here whining about our family trees, or we can try and come up with a plan. Personally, I vote for the latter option."

"You're right." Schuyler said with a sigh, sitting up and attempting to snap out of her melancholy mood. "So what are you thinking?"

"I don't know." Mimi admitted. "But there's got to be something we can do. I don't know if I'm Gabrielle's daughter or not, but I don't want to find out by handing that jewel to Kingsley and having it work."

"Wait a minute!" Bliss said, flinching as though someone had jolted her with an electric wire. "That's it!"

"What's it?" Schuyler asked.

"Kingsley! He thinks I'm the daughter of Gabrielle, not you, Mimi. We can just keep pretending like we think so, too. But the jewel doesn't belong to me, it belongs to you. If I give it to him, it won't work."

"But what about Schuyler?" Mimi asked. "Won't he just order Schuyler to give it to him, and then—"

"But Schuyler herself said it." Bliss turned to Schuyler. "You haven't been presented at the 400 Ball, but Mimi has. She's got a stronger claim to the jewel than you do. In fact, I bet she's the sole owner, at least for right now."

Mimi stared at her. "That's so simplistic, it just might work. They can't do the spell without the jewel, and Kingsley won't be able to do anything about it. That's it. All our problems are solved."

"Yes." Schuyler said dryly. "I'm sure when the jewel doesn't work Kingsley will just let us walk out of there, arm-in-arm with the boys. Even if the spell doesn't work, how are we supposed to get away?"

Mimi bit her lip. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." she said eventually. "Right now we've got to make sure the deception is convincing." She turned to her friend. "Bliss, why don't you walk in holding the jewel? That way they'll associate it with you."

"And I can find some reason to call her my sister." Schuyler said, getting what Mimi was planning. "If they think we believe it, then they'll know it's not our fault when it doesn't work."

"What about the boys?" Bliss asked, biting her lip. "Should we tell them?"

"I don't think so." Schuyler said, before Mimi could speak. "They'd have to play along with the deception, and pretend they weren't shocked at our news. We've had time to adjust, they won't have any."

"You're right." Mimi said, expression thoughtful. She laughed ruefully. "I don't even want to think about how much Jack is going to freak when he hears this."

"So we pretend that I'm Gabrielle's daughter." Bliss said, biting her lip. This plan required putting herself in danger, but if it would help them free the boys, so be it.

"Yes." Mimi said. "It's the only way." She met Bliss's and Schuyler's eyes, her gaze lingering on Schuyler's face. "And we'll work through everything else later." she said softly, and both girls knew she was not speaking about rescuing the boys.

"After we grab Jack, Oliver, and Dylan, save the world, and run like hell, of course." Schuyler said, expression deadpan.

**IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIO**

"What—where?"

"Oliver!" Dylan said, looking up just as his friend opened his eyes. He'd been sitting on the hard stone floor of their prison for what felt like hours, holding his friend's hand and watching him keenly for any sign that he was regaining consciousness. "Here, don't try and talk. Just hang on a sec."

He grabbed the bottle of orange juice, then pulled Oliver up so the other boy was leaning against his shoulder. Carefully, he raised the bottle to Oliver's lips and tipped a little of the liquid into his mouth. Oliver swallowed painfully, then took the bottle out of Dylan's hands and began eagerly gulping the juice. "Careful, there." Dylan said gently. "We don't need you throwing it all up again."

"M'good." Oliver mumbled around the mouth of the bottle. He finished it off and lowered it with a sigh of satisfaction. "Did it work?" he asked. Dylan hesitated, and Oliver made a face. "Please tell me it worked. I feel like someone zapped all my energy. Please tell me I don't feel as weak as a two year old for nothing."

"Um, it worked." Dylan said, shooting a glance at where Jack was leaned against the bars of the cage. "Jack and I just had a bit of a…disagreement, that's all." Oliver shot him a questioning look, but Dylan shook his head. It really wasn't worth explaining. "We decided that for the time being we're going to keep pretending that Jack's weak, though. It might give us an advantage later."

Oliver started to nod, then froze as he heard the sound of rapidly approaching feet. Jack either didn't hear or didn't care, because he stayed where he was, leaning against the bars of the cage. "Jack!" Dylan hissed, and the other boy glanced up, expression world-weary. "Someone's coming." Dylan said urgently, and Jack's eyes widened. He slid away from the bars and quickly lay down near the back of the cage. Dylan and Oliver stood to block him from view as Kingsley—just Kingsley, this time, interestingly enough—cleared the corner and stalked up to their cage.

"I thought you'd like to know that you have about five hours left to live." Kingsley said bluntly, and Oliver couldn't quite control his shudder at Kingsley's words. "Kennedy is bringing the girls closer as we speak, and they've been told to cooperate or else you'll be killed. Once we bring them here and they give us the jewel, well…" he laughed unpleasantly. "Let's just hope you're all good little boys and girls and cooperate with me, and maybe Lucifer won't be too harsh on you."

"Pigs could fly." Oliver snapped, resting his hand surreptitiously on the stone wall to keep from falling over.

"What about you, Abbadon?" Kingsley said, circling to the side of the cage to peer closely at Jack. "You would've gone along with me, and gladly, once upon a time." He sighed melodramatically, folding his elegant frame as he knelt on the ground next to the cage, head cocked as he watched Jack. "I truly am sorry I had to hurt you, old friend. Believe me, this wasn't how I would have liked to do things, but you work with what you have, I suppose." He shrugged carelessly. "You could still join us, you know. You and Azrael. The Master would welcome you back with open arms."

Jack leaned himself up on his elbows, his voice hoarse and weak as he spoke to Kingsley. "We'll never join you." he rasped, and even under the circumstances Oliver was impressed with his acting skills. "Azrael and I followed him once, and we'll never join him again, no matter what you do to us."

"And whose fault was that?" Kingsley asked sharply, two spots of color growing on his cheeks. "Whose fault was it that we all followed him in the first place? You persuaded Azrael to join him with you, and Semael and I followed. And then just as it seems like we might be getting somewhere, you go turncoat again and beguile Azrael into joining ranks with those filthy Blue Bloods." He banged a fist against the bars, face tight and angry. "We would have won, if it wasn't for you and your ambitions. If you hadn't enticed Azrael—"

He broke off as Jack began laughing, body shaking as held himself weakly of the ground. "My god." he said, tone incredulous. "You're still obsessed with her."

"Who?" Dylan asked, crouching and laying what he hoped looked like a supportive hand on Jack's back, subtly trying to remind the other boy to watch what he said and how he acted.

"Azrael." Jack whispered. "He's still in love with Mimi."

"But he tried to have her killed!" Oliver said incredulously. "Why would he do that if he loved her?"

"It's not a choice, you know." Kingsley growled, glowering as he shoved away from the cage and began pacing furiously. "When God created the angels, he made us what we are and paired us with our twins. There's not a whole lot of choice in the matter. We love who we love, whether we want to or not. I've loved Azrael from the moment of my conception. But of course Abbadon here had to seduce her away from me. She was supposed to love me, but from the moment he came into being she only had eyes for him. I thought it would pass, that the bonds we felt were too strong, but she gave herself to him permanently, before the war. Little slut." he added viciously.

"Admit it, Kingsley." Jack said, leaning on his elbows as his eyes tracked the other boy. "She never really loved you like you loved her. You've always had to settle for second best."

Kingsley turned sharply, throwing himself down on the floor and pressing his face against the bars of the cage with a speed that alarmed Oliver. "Does it bother you?" Kingsley asked, laughing bitterly. "Does it bother you that I had her in before you ever did? You want to hear how she squirmed for me, how she called out my name? The way she felt when I—"

"GOD you're boring." Oliver said as loud as he could, moving quickly to place himself between Kingsley and Jack. Behind him, Dylan had Jack pinned to the ground, holding his hands on his back as if he were comforting him. "I bet you stand in front of the mirror every morning talking to yourself because no one else will listen."

Kingsley snorted and leaned back, eyes dark with dislike as he examined Oliver. "I think I'm going to enjoy killing you." he said, tone thoughtful.

"At this point, I'd rather die than sit here and listen to you entertain yourself any longer." Oliver shot back.

"I second the notion."

Kingsley spun around as Oliver, Jack, and Dylan looked up in surprise. Oliver's eyes widened as he looked at the girl standing in the doorway behind Kingsley. Conventional thought would have called her beautiful, but up close Oliver could see that any beauty she might have possessed was marred by her horrifying thinness, her paper-like skin, prominent cheek and collar bones, and her wide, bug like eyes.

"Semael." Jack breathed behind him, and suddenly Oliver knew, with a sinking sensation in his stomach, exactly who she must be.

"Kennedy." Kingsley said, facing her, and to Oliver's surprise he actually sounded uncertain. "How much did you hear, pet?"

"Enough." Kennedy—Semael?—said, her tone flat and unamused. She glared down at him, and though Oliver couldn't say why, he suddenly knew that she was _with_ Kingsley. Her eyes widened even further, if it was possible, and her lip quivered. "You _said_ you were over her. You've been saying you were over her for _years._"

"I am." Kingsley said hastily. "I was just taunting Abaddon, darling. It didn't mean anything."

"The girls are two miles away," she said, voice blank. "I led them that far, and told them I'd fetch them in a few hours."

"Thank you—"Kingsley started, but Kennedy turned and flounced away, hipbones swinging as she disappeared deeper into the caves. Kingsley growled in frustration, and Oliver clamped down on all sarcastic comments he could have made at that moment, reminding himself that he did not actually want Kingsley to stick around any longer. "You've got five hours left to live." Kingsley said bluntly. "Enjoy it, if you can." He swung to his feet and stalked after Kennedy, back set and tense.

"Now what do we do?" Oliver asked glumly, once he was sure Kingsley was gone.

"We wait." Jack said, pulling himself to his feet. "We wait, and we prepare." His eyes locked on the direction Kingsley had gone, as if he stared hard enough he could burn a hole in the other boy's back.

He turned back to face them, expression sharp. "Oliver. Thank you for…doing what you did. I really appreciate it." Oliver nodded, unsure where Jack was going. "I'll be honest. In the battle, if it comes to that, you're going to be essentially useless. If you get the chance, get out and hide in the woods. Try and find running water, and follow in back to civilization." His eyes softened a little. "You've already done more than enough."

Jack turned towards Dylan. "Dylan…" he stopped and took a deep breath. "Marchosias. I should have remembered that you are the Angel of Truth. I just wasn't willing or prepared to hear that truthfulness aimed at myself. You—you're not right about me, but you're not wrong, either." Jack shook his head, bringing himself back to the present.

"If and when it comes to fighting, you and Schuyler—and Bliss, if she's able—are going to need to take on the Silver Bloods." Jack said bluntly, and Dylan nodded once. "I know it'll be dangerous, and maybe suicidal, but Semael and Mephistopheles are worse than a hundred Silver Bloods. Mimi and I are the only ones who have a chance of taking them out, and it's going to take both of us to do so. If we can take them down, I think the five of us might actually stand a chance against the remaining Silver Bloods. There aren't as many as you might think—I'm guessing no more than thirty or forty. The cave's not big enough to house more than that." He paused and looked up, locking eyes with Dylan and Oliver. "Are we clear?"

"Yes." Dylan said quietly, eyes filled with something suspiciously like respect.

Oliver, feeling the moment was heavy enough as it was—how did Jack do that?—simply raised a hand in mock salute. Jack actually cracked a smile, and Dylan laughed outright.

"Sounds like a plan." Oliver said, as Jack lowered himself to the ground, reclaiming his role of invalid and keeping up the deception.

Yes, it did sound like a good plan, Oliver thought. Except for his part in the scheme. He shook his head subtly. It wouldn't do any good to tell Jack that he had no intention of running anywhere while Schuyler was in danger.


	32. Misguided Angels

**Yes, I'm back. I can hardly believe it either. Melissa de la Cruz owns Blue Bloods. A quick reminder: Redefinition is only canon through Masquerade. This chapter's a bit of a deviation from the rest of the story, but it jump started my muse, so I hope you enjoy. **

Bliss paced nervously across the ground, realized she'd just walked in a circle, sighed, and forced herself to sit down on a log. They'd been waiting over an hour for Kennedy to come back and get them, and at this point Bliss wanted her to show up because anything would be better than this waiting.

Across the clearing, Schuyler was using branches and some dead leaves to make a series of necklaces and bracelets, which she then crumpled into dust. Mimi had hardly moved over the last hour from her perch on a stone, apparently lost in her own head. Bliss suspected that Mimi was far more nervous than she was letting on—although her history meant she was a more experienced fighter, it also meant that she had a better understanding of the danger they were facing than Bliss or Schuyler.

Bliss sighed and stretched, and to her embarrassment her stomach growled. Schuyler grinned at her, and even Mimi turned around and cracked a smile. "Yeah, I could use some blood too—or a hamburger," Schuyler said.

"It's a shame we can't get to any Red Bloods," Mimi said, frowning. "We could use the strength for tonight."

"Couldn't we, like, eat berries or something?" Bliss said, aware as she spoke how silly that sounded.

"Well, first of all, everything's either frozen or not in season," Mimi said, waving her hand at the frosty ground in demonstration. "But even if it was in season, eating it wouldn't do you any good. Your body's craving blood."

"_Your _bodies might be craving blood," Schuyler said, climbing to her feet and scattering leaves all over the ground. "But I am half human, and right now my half human body would love a soy latte with a double shot of espresso—or, alternatively, a drink of water."

Mimi stood and cocked her head. "I think I hear a stream off…that way," she said, pointing into the gloom. Bliss and Schuyler paused and listened, and sure enough Bliss could hear a faint gurgling sound.

"Do you think it's safe to drink?" Bliss asked.

"I'll take the risk," Schuyler said. "Even if it is dirty, I'm sure the food poisoning won't hit until _after _the apocalypse." She headed off into the dark, climbing under a low hanging branch.

"Don't get eaten by a bear," Mimi called, and Schuyler turned around and stuck out her tongue before disappearing into the night.

"You okay?" Bliss looked up in surprise to see Mimi standing next to her, an expression that almost could have been called concern on her face.

"I…no," Bliss said. "I'm freaking out. I've never done anything like this before. I'm scared for me, and for Dylan, and for you and Jack and Schuyler and Oliver. I…" she broke off and looked up at Mimi. "Do you think we have a chance? Honestly?"

For several seconds Mimi said nothing, and then she sighed and settled on the log next to Bliss. "I think," Mimi said quietly, "that the chances of us all surviving are not very good." Bliss shuddered and looked down. She knew she'd asked, but it was so much worse hearing Mimi saying it out loud. "I also think," Mimi continued, laying a hand on Bliss's arm, "that if we go in assuming we're all going to die then we don't stand a chance at all. Just think positive, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Bliss said, laughing even though it wasn't funny at all.

"You never were one for battles, Benecentia," Mimi said, startling Bliss. "For as long as I've known you you've hated to fight."

"How long have you known me?" Bliss asked. "I…I don't remember."

"A long, long time," Mimi said dryly. "So long it's embarrassing. When Jack and I left Lucifer, we were in the middle of the war. We came to surrender to Michael, and he almost killed us before we could get the words out. Even then you didn't like to fight—I could see it on your face."

"You could?" Bliss asked, bemused and interested. She hadn't accessed very many—or any—of her memories, unlike Mimi, who seemed to be a veritable encyclopedia of knowledge.

"Yeah," Mimi said, offering her a small smile. "You had a camp set up just outside of Rome—or what would become Rome—and we…"

Mimi kept speaking, but the world around Bliss was fading, the trees and sky and ground blurring into a swirl of color, until she closed her eyes, afraid she was going to be sick. Mimi's voice stopped, and Bliss opened her eyes, but she was no longer in the forest.

_Her fingers ran over the worn cloth of his cloak, wincing when they reached a spot where an arrow had torn a hole, scant inches from his heart. That was too close. She started to reach for thread—she was useless in battle, but this she could do, she could fix, and repair, and heal, and maybe if she poured her love into each stitch it would keep him safe—when the flap of the tent was thrown aside and he strode in. _

_ His uniform was immaculate—there hadn't been much fighting this week, thank God—his hair brushed neatly back, but his cheeks were pale and his eyes were wide and frightened. _

_ "What is it?" she asked, leaping to her feet and rushing to his side, his arms automatically sliding around her waist. Any second they had together was too precious to waste. _

_ "Gabrielle wants you," he said, and she frowned, puzzled. Gabrielle called for her several times a day—of course she did; Benecentia was Gabrielle's handmaiden. It wasn't cause for alarm, and yet Marchosias looked as if he was announcing their doom. _

_ "What's going on?" she asked, keeping one hand locked in his as she scrambled for her cloak and shoes._

_ For several seconds he said nothing, and she stopped what she was doing and laid a hand on his cheek, holding his gaze until he let out a long breath. _

_ "Abaddon and Azrael are approaching," he said, and Benecentia blanched. So. It had come to this. If the head of Lucifer's army and his personal assassin were coming, it could only mean one thing. _

_ Gabrielle and Michael had hoped that the lack of action from the dark angels meant that there was contention in their ranks, that more might return to the light, as Benecentia and Marchosias had done, but apparently they were wrong. If Abaddon and Azrael were coming, then they were surely leading an army. Marchosias had been lucky so far; he hadn't had to face his former master, but they'd both known that it would happen eventually, and when it did Abaddon would likely kill Marchosias. _

_ "We should run," she said, and she felt no shame saying it. She wasn't a fighter, she'd never wanted these wars, but Marchosias was her mate, and he had loyally followed Abaddon in the Rebellion, until Marchosias, like her, had realized the cost of following the dark and had returned to the light. If running was the only way to save themselves, then she'd do it in a heartbeat. _

_ "I—no," he said. He smiled sadly at her, that little half-smile she loved so much. "I won't run from him. Besides, Gabrielle needs you." _

_ Benecentia nodded—she'd known it was pointless before she suggested it—and finished dressing. She tried to smile as he held the tent flap open for her, but she suspected she only managed to look ill—that was certainly how she felt. Marchosias held her hand tightly as he led her across the camp, where angels were hurrying to dress and arm themselves, their human servants scurrying hither and yonder as they fetched weapons and polished armor. _

_ "I don't think we should assume this is a trick," Gabrielle was saying as Benecentia slipped up to her mistress's side outside the main tent, where Gabrielle and others were involved in a heated discussion. "If we attack and we're wrong—"_

_ "How can it be anything __**but**__ a trick?" Zaquiel asked, shifting uneasily from foot to foot as he stood next to Michael. Zaquiel was tall and dark skinned, a giant of an angel who sent the Fallen running in terror just by stepping onto the battlefield. _

_ "But if we're wrong and it isn't a trick, then we're missing a valuable opportunity—not to mention endangering our soldiers," Dinael, a soft-spoken angel, said. He ran a hand through his messy golden-brown hair in agitation. "If we attack Azrael and Abaddon, then you know they'll fight back." _

_ "Exactly," Zaquiel said acidly. "Which is why I suggest attacking them now, before they have a chance to get closer."_

_ "I think," Michael began, but he broke off as Shamshiel and Phenix, the most fleet-footed of all the angels, approached at a dead run. _

_ "My lord," Shamshiel said, offering Michael a quick bow that she didn't even wait to have acknowledged before she continued, "Our scouts confirm what we thought. Azrael and Abaddon are carrying white flags, and they appear to be alone." _

_ "They'll be here in about five minutes," Phenix said, eyes darting nervously from side to side. Benecentia didn't think she'd ever seem him absolutely still. _

_ "We should attack now!" Zaquiel said, making a move as if he meant to draw his sword right here. _

_ "NO!" Gabrielle said, and her voice offered no quarter. Zaquiel bowed his head and gestured silently for her to continue. "Michael?" she said instead, turning to look at her mate._

_ "We approach them as a group," Michael said, looking like Benecentia felt—like he dearly wished he could just take them all far away. "You and I in the center," he told his mate. "Shamshiel, Phenix, gather all the generals and have them join us, expect for Arakiel. Inform her that if anything happens she is to lead the troops into battle or retreat, at her discretion." _

_ He barely finished speaking before Shamshiel and Phenix darted off, twin blurs as they raced into the night. _

_ "Everyone else, with me," Michael said, and they formed a loose group around him, Benecentia moving to Gabrielle's side, Marchosias half a step behind her. _

_ "Benecentia, thank you for coming," Gabrielle said as she glanced up and noticed her handmaiden. Her expression was calm, but her eyes were frightened. "I want you with me for whatever happens next."_

_ "Of course," Benecentia said, hoping Gabrielle couldn't see how clearly she wished she could be anywhere but here. Benecentia had never met Abaddon and Azrael in person—Marchosias said it was better that way—but she'd certainly heard of them and everything they'd done, first in Egypt and then in the Rebellion. If half the things that were whispered about them were true…_

_ Their group walked towards the edge of the camp, growing larger as the generals answered Phenix and Shamshiel's call. By the time they reached the golden field on the northeastern side of camp, they were twenty strong, and Benecentia felt a little better, until she glanced over and saw that Marchosias was even paler than when he'd burst into their tent. _

_ For a minute they stood frozen on the edge of the field, like some bizarre tableau, and Benecentia was beginning to wonder if she'd gotten worked up for nothing, when she saw them approaching. _

_ There were only two of them, and they were young—startlingly young. If Benecentia hadn't known better she would have thought they were children. Even from here Benecentia could see Abaddon's face twist into a frown as he spotted them, and she swore the air grew darker. Next to him, Azrael was as impassive as a stone, and from her expression one could have almost thought she was bored. Almost—except for the naked sword she carried in her hand. Benecentia knew what that sword could do, had seen the wounds it caused, and around her the generals hissed and shifted. That blade had ended the lives of too many of their soldiers to count._

_ "Easy," Gabrielle murmured, and the soldiers relaxed a fraction of an inch. _

_ It seemed to take forever for Azrael and Abaddon to reach them, although in reality it was probably no more than two minutes. When they were ten yards away they stopped, and Abaddon lowered his white flag to the ground while Azrael tossed hers away like it was a rag. _

_ "We've come to surrender," Abaddon said, and Benecentia thought the ground shifted as he spoke. "Why do you greet us with swords and spears?"_

_ "Why does your mate carry a sword?" Zaquiel countered. Azrael said nothing, just turned to look at him, and Benecentia gasped as Zaquiel took an involuntary step back. _

_ "We don't wish to fight for Lucifer any more," Abaddon said, and though he spoke to the group his eyes were locked on Gabrielle. If he looked just an inch to the left he'd see Benecentia, and she shuddered and forced herself to stay put and not run screaming across the camp. _

_ "Why should we believe you?" Michael asked. His voice was even, as if he truly wanted to know. _

_ Abaddon turned and exchanged glances with Azrael, and Benecentia wondered what they were saying. Some mates—not she and Marchosias; they weren't powerful enough—could speak to each other without talking, and Abaddon was known for being particularly adept at reading minds. _

_ Suddenly, Azrael spun and raised her sword high above her head. Everyone gasped and lunged for their weapons, but before a single blade had been drawn, she'd swung the sword around in a fast arch and plunged it into the ground at Michael's feet. _

_ "There," she said, and though the ground didn't shudder when she spoke, Benecentia felt the air grow colder, as if icy fingers were trailing over her face. "There's your proof. You could obliterate us both right now and we couldn't do anything about it. My mate believes we have made an error in joining the Morning Star, and he wishes for us to assist you in bringing about Lucifer's defeat."_

_ "And what about you?" Gabrielle asked her. "You said 'my mate'—what about you, Azrael?"_

_ Azrael turned slowly to look at Gabrielle, and for a second, her eyes flickered over Benecentia. Benecentia gasped, feeling as if the air had been sucked out of her lungs. There was no warmth in that gaze, no goodness or light, nothing but cold, certain death. _

_ "I am the Angel of Death," Azrael said, offering a small shrug as if being the most deadly angel aside from Lucifer himself was no big deal. "It matters not if I bring death to Lucifer's armies or to your own, Gabrielle. I followed my mate when he chose to join Lucifer, I follow him now as he chooses to join you, and I will follow him if he chooses to desert you."_

_ "That's not going to happen," Abaddon said, eyes flickering between Azrael and Gabrielle. _

_ "Why do you follow him?" Gabrielle asked, ignoring Abaddon, her eyes locked on Azrael. _

_ "Because I love him," Azrael said, and Benecentia wondered how the Angel of Death could love anyone. "And because he loves me," she added, with a glance at Abaddon. He tore his eyes away from Gabrielle and touched Azrael's arm, and for a fleeting second they did not look like dangerous warriors, but young lovers, just like herself and Marchosias. _

_ "There's another reason you should believe us," Abaddon said, breaking the spell. "You won't win without us."_

_ "What do you mean?" Dinael asked, quiet voice carrying across the field. _

_ "You didn't stand a chance against the Apocalyptic Horsemen when we were all united," Abaddon said, and Benecentia wondered idly—because if she thought too much about what Abaddon said then she'd give into screaming terror—why they were called the Apocalyptic Horse__**men**__. Azrael and Starvation—what was her name, Semael—were both decidedly female. If half of your group was female, shouldn't you have some sort of gender-neutral name? _

_ "If you need additional proof, Semael and Mephistopheles are almost certainly raising an army to obliterate Abaddon and myself as we speak," Azrael said idly, as if she was discussion the weather. "If you turn us away then we'll be dead by the end of the day anyways. Might as well make use of us."_

_ "I—"_

_ "We're delighted you want to join us," Gabrielle spoke over her mate. She smiled and, ignoring the gasps from the other angels, stepped forward and took Azrael and Abaddon's hands. "Welcome back to the light." _

_ Benecentia wished she felt as certain as Gabrielle apparently did, and one glance at Marchosias's face showed he felt the same as her. He reached out and took her hand, and Benecentia allowed herself a small smile. At least she knew, no matter what happened, that she and Marchosias would be together. And really, that was all that mattered. Benecentia wasn't ready to trust Abaddon and Azrael just yet, but she could understand what Azrael had said about being willing to follow her mate anywhere, because Benecentia felt the same. _

_ "I love you," she whispered, turning to look at him._

_ "I love you too," Dylan said._

"Bliss? Bliss? BLISS. Snap out of it!"

Bliss's eyes flew open to see Azrael's face inches from her own. She screamed and threw herself backwards, tripped, and fell on her butt in a puddle of mud.

"Bliss?" Mimi asked, expression concerned as she cautiously approached her friend. Behind her, Schuyler was returning from the stream, and she broke into a run as she saw Bliss on the ground. "Are you okay?" Mimi asked, offering Bliss a hand, which Bliss took after a second's hesitation. "You kind of zoned on me."

"I—I'm fine," Bliss said, aware that her heart was thudding painfully in her chest. "I just—I had a memory. Or a flashback. Whatever you call it."

"Fascinating," Mimi said, rolling her eyes. "Meanwhile, in the here and now, Semael is going to be here any minute, and we need to be prepared."

"I know," Bliss said, brushing mud off her pants to cover the fact that her hands were still shaking. Her mind was struggling to accept that this was the 21st century, and that Mimi was, well, Mimi, and not a dangerous enemy. And as for what she'd learned…Bliss shuddered.

"They're coming," Mimi hissed, and Bliss quickly placed herself between Schuyler and Mimi, Lucifer's Bane clenched in her hand. She glanced at it uneasily. Had the jewel caused her sudden flashback/revelation?

"Hello, poppets. Miss me?" Kennedy asked, strutting back into the clearing, half a dozen Silver Bloods following close behind. The skeletal girl was smirking at them, but Bliss thought she saw a tightness around Kennedy's eyes and mouth, as if she wasn't as carefree as she was pretending. A glance to her right showed Mimi had noticed the same thing.

"We were pining without you," Mimi said dryly. "Can we go now?"

"Always so impatient for death, Azrael," Kennedy said. "Some things never change."

"Clearly," Mimi said, ignoring the Silver Bloods that surrounded them and prodded them to start walking. "You've had the same hairstyle for the last four centuries. You DO know that the 1920s happened, right?"

As they made their way through the night, tree branches waving menacingly above them, Bliss fought to control her breathing. Despite Mimi's debonair attitude, they were walking towards their deaths—a prospect that seemed even worse for Bliss, given what she'd just learned.

She'd thought she was doing a pretty decent job of hiding her misery, but after about ten minutes Schuyler reached out and touched her shoulder, expression clearly asking if Bliss was okay.

"I'm fine," Bliss whispered, but for some reason those words almost made her lose her battle with the tears threatening to pour down her cheeks, and she had to bite her lip to keep back the flood. It just wasn't fair, she thought, that she and Dylan were going to die only hours after she'd finally learned that they were destined to be together forever.

**Thoughts? Comments? Critiques? This chapter startled me a little because Bliss isn't exactly my favorite character, although I do love Dylan. If anyone's interested, Zaquiel, Dineal, Phenix, Shamshiel, and Arakiel really are the names of fallen angels. **


	33. Bloody Valentine

**This chapter's about half plot, half pure fan service. There should be page breaks; my apologies if they didn't stick. Enjoy! **

Schuyler kept shooting glances at Bliss as the three girls followed Kennedy through the woods, staying close together to avoid the Silver Bloods surrounding them in a tight circle. Something had clearly upset her friend, something she'd seen in a memory, but Schuyler couldn't imagine what. It was like Mimi had said—wasn't the here and now awful enough? What could Bliss have possibly seen that had upset her so much?

After about twenty minutes, Kennedy's pace picked up, and Schuyler realized they must be getting close. She tried to keep her hands from shaking, and, failing that, resolutely told herself it was the cold—it _was_ cold out, and in the last hour it had started snowing again. She would have thought it was beautiful if she didn't know what was going to happen soon.

All they had to do, Schuyler told herself firmly, was keep Kennedy and Kingsley from learning that Mimi was Gabrielle's daughter. If her mother's will was accurate—and Schuyler prayed it was—then Schuyler could no more give the jewel to Kingsley than she could teleport them all away from here. Of course, once they'd accomplished that they'd still have to escape the Silver Bloods, but Schuyler was certain that would be infinitely easier without Lucifer present.

Finally, they left the thickest of the trees, coming out in a clearing. On the opposite side, Schuyler could see a dark, hulking mass that she imagined was the entrance to the cave.

"Almost there," Kennedy said, turning to grin at them. Whatever had been bothering her early was apparently eclipsed by her excitement about the Resurrection Spell. "Wait here while I go inform Mephistopheles and the others that they're here," she ordered the Silver Bloods, before slipping between two rocks and disappearing from sight.

For several seconds they stood in uncomfortable silence, and then to Schuyler's complete and utter shock, Mimi gave a cry and burst into tears, burying her face in her hands as she sobbed.

"Mimi?" Bliss asked, sounding as disconcerted and alarmed as Schuyler felt. Around them the Silver Bloods nudged each other and smirked.

"I'm sorry," Mimi said, moving so she was facing the two girls, shoulders shaking with sobs. "It's just, it's just, I can't stand the thought that we're all going to…"

She trailed off, and, just when Schuyler didn't think Mimi could shock her more, the other girl lunged forward and threw her arms around Schuyler, pressing her face into Schuyler's neck.

Schuyler barely had time to notice that Mimi's face felt suspiciously dry, before Mimi was speaking to her, lips barely moving, nose almost jammed in Schuyler's ear. For several seconds she whispered to Schuyler, occasionally letting out a sob to keep the charade going, but Schuyler barely noticed. She was too stunned by what Mimi was telling her.

"Understand?" Mimi hissed, and Schuyler inclined her head a fraction of an inch before Mimi shoved her away and made a show of wiping her face.

Schuyler tried her best to compose herself, but Mimi's words had frightened her—although, she realized, fright was a legitimate emotion right now. Bliss was looking at Mimi like she was crazy, but if she'd noticed or heard anything she gave no sign.

"What's going on out here?" Schuyler fought the urge to dive for Kingsley Martin and attempt to sink her teeth into his throat as he slipped outside, frowning at Mimi, who was still letting out loud sniffles, and the smirking Silver Bloods.

"Whatever," he said, shaking his head at them. "Come on inside," he said, as if he was inviting them in for dinner—which, Schuyler realized with an unpleasant lurch—for him, it may very well be dinner.

Schuyler followed after Bliss, who still clutched the jewel in her fist, and for a moment she was disconcerted, because it seemed like she was stepping off a cliff, but then her foot found the first of a series of narrow steps cut into the rocks. For several minutes they climbed down, clinging to the slimy walls to keep their balance on the steep stairs, and then they came out into a much larger space, a cave lit by a series of candles pressed into the walls.

"Welcome to the Caverna de Ligatia," Kingsley said, but Schuyler didn't hear him, because at that moment she looked past the Silver Bloods and saw the group standing on the other side of the cave.

Another dozen Silver Bloods stood grouped loosely around the boys. Of the three, only Dylan looked about as well as he'd been when Schuyler had last seen him. Like Jack, he was missing his shirt, but other than that he seemed okay.

Jack was not standing, he was slumped on the ground, back against the wall, and though if Mimi was to be believed he wasn't as badly injured as he seemed, he still looked awful. In addition to the bruises Kingsley had given him early, he now had several painful looking cuts criss-crossing his chest and neck. Schuyler didn't even want to think how that had happened, and she turned away from the sight, to see the third figure leaning against the wall to Jack's right…

She didn't care that they were surrounded by Silver Bloods. She didn't care that Kennedy and Kingsley were standing there, smirking at them. She didn't care that in less than an hour, there was a good chance they would all be dead. Bliss was by her side, Mimi to Bliss's right, but they faded from her awareness as she saw him. Bliss started to say something, but she ignored her as she flew across the few yards separating them and threw her arms around his neck.

Oliver. Her best friend, her closest ally, her familiar, her confidant. The one person who always protected her and stood by her and loved her no matter what. Let Jack and Mimi keep their mindreading. She and Oliver didn't need it. She clung tightly to him, face pressed to his chest, shuddering with relief when his warm arms encircled her, guarding her from the world. "You're alive," she whispered.

"Looks like," he quipped, words slightly muffled as he pressed his face to the top of her head.

She pulled back a bit to look at him. "I…Mimi said that Jack bit you. I was so afraid that he'd killed you, even though Mimi said he hadn't." Her hand reached up and touched the bite marks on the side of his neck, the impression much bigger than the one left by her own mouth.

"Well, he did kill me, see," Oliver said, grinning weakly. "But I rose from the dead as a vampire, so it's all goo—"

"Shut up," she whispered fiercely, standing on tiptoes and capturing his lips with her own. His arms tightened around her once again, lifting her off her feet, pressing her close to his heart. He kissed her cheeks, her forehead, the tip of her nose, before returning to her lips.

They stayed that way for several seconds, locked in an embrace, until a voice spoke behind them, ending the moment.

"Disgusting," Kennedy said, lip curled in dislike. Schuyler whirled away from Oliver and hissed at her, blue eyes narrowed in anger, and to her surprise and satisfaction, Kennedy actually took a step back.

"Down, kitty," Oliver murmured, and Schuyler wacked him in the chest.

"Nobody's allowed to call you disgusting except me," Schuyler told him, fully aware that Kennedy could hear every word she spoke. "Especially not some skeletal, disproportionately built skank-ho."

"Wow," Oliver said, raising an eyebrow. "So I take it you two become bosom buddies out in the great wild yonder, then?"

"Yeah," Schuyler said with a snort. She sobered quickly though. "Ollie…"

"I know, Sky," he said quietly.

"No…I mean, yes, that too, but just…" she raised herself up, locking her arms around his neck and pressing her mouth next to his ear. "Be ready to run, okay?"

"Gotcha," Oliver said quietly, keeping her pressed close to his chest so she couldn't see the lie in his eyes.

****

Bliss's first reaction upon seeing Dylan was to burst into tears. It was stupid, she knew. After all, of the three boys Dylan had apparently faired the best. He wasn't leaning on anyone for support, like Oliver, and he certainly wasn't curled in a heap on the ground like Jack. From the sound of it, he had gotten off lightly compared to Jack and Oliver.

But that didn't stop her from crying. For months before all this insanity took place she'd believed he was dead. She thought she'd never hear his low, husky voice again, never see him flip his dark hair casually out of his eyes, never smell the smoke of his cigarettes, never feel him take her in his arms again. And then, she was handed a second chance. Maybe she wasn't bound for hell for not grabbing him and holding on tightly the first time he told her he loved her. Maybe they could be together.

And now…one of them was going to die. Slowly, painfully, and horribly. Even if the ritual didn't work, Kingsley and his minions could still rip them limb from limb. She thought they'd been given a second chance at a life together. Now she knew it was just a chance to say goodbye.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" Dylan asked, coming up to her and taking the jewel from her unresisting hands, where she still had it held out like a bizarre offering. "I'm still in one piece, and so are Jack and Oliver—mostly, anyways."

Bliss knew she shouldn't be wasting this precious time crying or asking questions—she should be embracing him like Schuyler was doing with Oliver—but it was too painful. "But for how long?" she asked, mildly impressed when her voice only quavered a little.

"Hey," Dylan said, gripping her chin and tipping it up firmly. They were almost exactly the same height, and he stared her square in the eyes. "I'm not giving up, and neither should you. We're not finished yet. We might still find a way out of this. And if we don't…" he took a deep breath, and Bliss suddenly realized that he was only pretending to be strong for her, that in reality he was just as upset and scared as she was. "If we don't, I know that I love you, and you love me. And that's more than enough. It's more than I thought I'd ever get, and more than I deserve—"

"Of course you deserve it," Bliss said, and this time her voice was clear and strong. "It's me who doesn't deserve you. I was the one who rejected you, who let you run away, who believed that you'd died. I don't know how you can forgive me, but—" She shook her head. "Dylan, you shouldn't have been dragged into this. I'm so sorry."

"I'm not," Dylan said.

"But why?" Bliss demanded. "You could die, I could die, we could all—"

"Frankly, my dear," Dylan said, his lips inches from her own, "I don't give a damn."

Bliss laughed, even as fresh tears poured down her cheeks, but she soon forgot her rollercoaster of emotions as he pressed his lips to her own, gently holding her before the world came crashing down around them.

****

Mimi knew Jack wasn't really hurt, but she still drew in a sharp breath at the sight of her brother curled on the floor, a mockery of his true strength and power. She wanted nothing more than to reach out to him with her mind, but they'd agreed it was too dangerous for the boys to know. Besides, how was she even supposed to start that conversation? _So, Jack, you know how I'm not really your sister? Well, turns out you have another not-really-your-sister. Who? Oh, no one special…._Yeah. That was going to require some forethought.

She could feel his confusion that she was blocking their bond as she stalked calmly across the cave towards him, neither standing in place and falling to pieces like Bliss or running madly like a schoolgirl into her boyfriend's arms like Schuyler. That was not how they did things.

She knelt next to him, eyes checking quickly to make sure that he was indeed not injured. There was a battle coming, and she needed him standing strong by her side if they had any hope of getting out of this alive. They were lovers, but above all they were warriors, driven by the same thrills, the same need, the same dark desire, and she needed to know that he was ready to take up their heavenly calling once more.

She nodded once, satisfied, and he smiled thinly, as if to say, _you knew all along I was all right. You just like checking me out._ She smiled back, expression sad, and as he pulled himself up, making a show of struggling to sit upright, the twins' eyes met.

_They had danced this dance for centuries, spinning around each other like whirling dervishes, moving through their lives with a thin veneer of propriety which barely masked their wicked lovely natures, their beautiful darkness. They stared into each other's eyes, their shared knowledge, their shared history, their shared passion rendering words unnecessary. Then they came back to earth, and for one moment, they were young lovers once again, desperate and frightened. _

Jack reached out a hand and touched her cheek. "Mea Bellae Angelae," he whispered.

"Yes," Mimi said, voice quiet and fierce. "Mea Bellae Angelae."

He leaned his forehead against her own, his breathing matching hers as they stayed frozen in time. "Why?" he said, voice no more than the slightest breeze on her cheek.

"Trust me," she said, voice just as soft.

"I do. But—"

"Not now," she replied firmly, slipping her arms around his waist and pressing herself to his side. He was so cold, as cold as—no.

"Azrael," he said quietly. She turned her head a fraction of an inch to look at him, waiting. "Azrael, will you stand with me?"

Her eyes widened. It was the same question he'd asked her three times before, each thousands of years ago. The first time was when he asked her to abandon Mephistopheles and accept him as her mate. The second was when he'd convinced her to defy the heavens and follow the Morning Star in his rebellion. The third was when they'd decided together to forsake the darkness, forsake their master, and join Michael and Gabrielle in the war for heaven. All three times she'd given the same answer, and she gave it again now, without hesitation.

"Forever, Abbadon."

**Next chapter's already written, and will be up by the end of the week. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. **


	34. Blue Blood

**A reminder once again, because it'll matter in the interlude: this story is only canon through **_**Masquerade**_**. **

**So this chapter and the interlude are going to be the last posts for at least a week, maybe more—I won't have access to a computer before then. Enjoy, and as always Melissa de la Cruz owns everything.**

"How badly are you hurt?" Mimi asked Jack. His eyes flickered over her shoulder, and she inclined her head a fraction of an inch to let him know that she was aware that Kennedy, Kingsley, and the Silver Bloods were within hearing distance.

"I'll be all right," Jack said, grasping her hand and making a show of slowly pulling himself to his feet. He staggered and clutched his side, and Mimi inwardly rolled her eyes. Her brother had never been able to resist showing off for an audience.

Mimi stepped forward and slipped her shoulder under Jack's arm, allowing him to pretend to lean on her. In reality, the hand that clutched her arm was warm and strong, and she could feel his pulse against her skin. "I was so scared," she told him, surprised by the genuine emotion in her voice.

"I know," Jack said. He shuddered a little, and Mimi frowned as she realized Oliver was wearing Jack's shirt, while the apparent remains of Oliver's and Dylan's shirts were bandaging the worst of Jack's injuries. "When I woke up and couldn't feel you…"

"Who would have thought that the Caverna de Ligatia was real?" Mimi said. She shook her head. "I honestly thought it was a myth."

"Me too," Oliver said, coming over slowly to them, Sky trailing close behind. "Hey Mimi," Oliver said, offering her a small smile. "You look terrible."

"Right back at you," Mimi said, wincing when she realized that he did in fact look exhausted and in pain. "I…thank you," she said, eyes flickering to Jack and back, and Oliver nodded.

"Glad to see you guys are all in one piece," Dylan said, clutching Bliss's hand tightly as he approached them. Mimi was peripherally aware that the Silver Bloods were forming a loose circle around them, but she ignored them for the moment. They were already trapped—what did the Silver Bloods care if they talked?

"For now." They all turned to look at Kennedy, who had draped herself over an out hanging rock to peer down at them. "You're all in one piece for now," she said, grinning at their confusion. "Not for much longer."

"Where's the jewel?" Kingsley snapped, shoving his way through the Silver Bloods and planting himself in the middle of their group. Mimi wondered if she could rip out his neck before the Silver Bloods jumped her. Probably not, but it was an interesting idea.

"I have it," Bliss said, voice shaking, and Mimi inwardly groaned. The plan had been for Bliss to resist handing over Lucifer's Bane, claiming it had belonged to her mother, but from the look on her face Bliss would hand Kingsley the jewel if he so much as breathed on her funny.

"I'll take it, please," Kingsley said, holding out a hand, and sure enough Bliss's hand stole towards her pocket.

"Wait," Dylan said, laying a hand on her arm, and for the first time in her life Mimi thanked god for Dylan Ward. "Don't give it to him—make him take it if he wants it."

"I, I don't want to give it to him," Bliss said, stuttering and speaking too fast, but at least now she was following the dialogue. "It belonged to my mother—you can't have it!" she said, standing up to her full height and glaring down at Kingsley. Her shoulders were shaking, but her eyes didn't waver, and Mimi gave a small smile of approval. There was a reason she liked Bliss.

"It belonged to your mother?" Kingsley asked, eyes bright. Behind him, Kennedy sat up straighter and all but clapped her hands in anticipation. "And who was your mother, Bliss?"

"I…I don't know," Bliss said. "She died before I was born, but I found a picture of my father and—" she gasped and stopped, and Mimi completely reassessed her opinion. Bliss was an even better actor than Jack.

"And who?" Kingsley asked, practically quivering with excitement.

"I…" Bliss hesitated, and turned away as though frightened, but Mimi glanced down and saw she was stepping on Dylan's foot, preventing him from interrupting. Similarly, Schuyler gave Oliver a look of warning. Jack shifted against Mimi, clearly wondering what was going on, and Mimi squeezed his hand, begging him to remember his promise to trust her.

"Tell me, Bliss," Kingsley hissed, coming forward and grabbing her arm, and only a timely stumble from Schuyler kept Dylan from starting forward.

"Please…" Bliss said, and then gulped. "All right. I'll tell you."

"No Bliss, don't!" Schuyler broke in, right on cue. "Don't tell them who our—"

"Be quiet, you little fool!" Mimi snapped, and Kingsley grinned in triumph.

"You're the daughter of Gabrielle—the other daughter," he said, and for one horrible second Mimi thought he was talking to her, but his eyes were locked on Bliss.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Bliss said, entirely unconvincingly.

"Just give it up, Bliss," Mimi said, rolling her eyes. "Great job, Half-Blood," she told Schuyler, loading her voice with all the sarcasm and contempt she could muster—which, given that Kingsley was standing right there, was an awful lot—"I hope you're happy, now that you've officially doomed us all. Gabrielle would be ashamed to call you her daughter. Good thing for you she's in a coma."

Schuyler cried out and took a step back, and Mimi allowed herself a tiny smile. They hadn't discussed that last part—Mimi had just added it in hopes of sparking a genuine reaction from Schuyler, who, sure enough, looked like she wanted to murder Mimi where she stood. Jack shifted against her, and Mimi could practically hear all the things he'd be shouting at her right now if she let him into her head.

Unfortunately, Oliver had neither Jack's restraint nor Schuyler's knowledge that Mimi was faking. "What the HELL is wrong with you, you cold-hearted bitch?" he all but shouted, stalking towards her, ignoring Schuyler when she tried to grab his arm. "Since we're about to die, I might as well tell you: no one, and I mean _no one_, at Duchesne likes you. They're only friends with you because they're afraid of you—including Bliss. And who can blame them, when you say things like that? No wonder Jack doesn't love you anymore—if he ever did."

She felt the words, felt them pass through her, felt them cut and rip at her heart, but she brutally slammed down on them and shoved them away. Later, she could be Mimi Force, high school junior, who would feel upset and hurt because Oliver's words had more than a little ring of truth to them, but right now she had to be Azrael, the Apocalyptic Angel, as cold and unfeeling as death.

"That's not true," Jack started, but Kingsley interrupted by clapping his hands three times sharply, like he was a teacher reprimanding them for talking in class.

"As fascinating as this all is—and I mean that sincerely—we're on a time limit. So I'll take the Rose of Lucifer, please," Kingsley said, holding out his hand to Bliss, who hesitated, eyes flickering to Mimi. Mimi knew what Bliss was thinking, and she shared the thought. If this didn't work, then they'd just handed their enemy the jewel on a silver platter.

"Now," Kingsley said coldly, when Bliss continued to hesitate, and before anyone could move Kennedy slipped up behind Dylan and pressed a knife to his throat.

"I'm sorry," Bliss whispered, before reaching into her pocket and pulling out the emerald. It sparkled in the dim torch light, bouncing color off the cave walls. Kingsley held out his hand, and Bliss handed him the jewel.

"Beautiful," Kingsley whispered, seemingly entranced, before looking up and tucking the jewel into his pocket. "Separate them and bring them down to the chamber," he ordered briskly. "Bind them tightly—the Half Blood and the Red Blood on the altar, along with this one," he said, jerking his head at Bliss. "No purpose in taking a risk and only spilling the blood of one of Gabrielle's daughters. Tie him—" head jerk at Dylan—"to the wall. We don't need him interfering. You know what to do with Azrael and Abaddon."

Mimi swallowed a yelp as a Silver Bloods yanked her away from Jack and wrenched her arms behind her back, pulling so tight she felt her shoulders pop. The others were being similarly manhandled, and Mimi clenched her teeth when she saw the way two Silver Bloods were practically dragging Jack along, before remembering that he was not as seriously injured as he was pretending.

They were led further into the cave, and soon the ground began to slope down. They walked for almost fifteen minutes, the air growing damper and warmer around them, and Mimi tried to squash the impression that they were descending into Hell. Finally, the came out into a small cavern suspended by several natural stone pillars. Mimi's eyes darted from side to side, taking in all the places they could hide, and all the places she'd want to avoid, if it came to a fight.

So focused was Mimi on planning their escape that she didn't even notice what stood in the center of the room until she almost tripped as her Silver Blood dragged her up onto a large stone altar. She gasped and automatically tried to pull away, but as they'd descended more Silver Bloods had joined them, their numbers swelling to at least four dozen, and they surrounded her and forced her to climb onto the altar.

The altar was a large, flat piece of stone at least thirty feet across in each direction. Its floor was decorated with strange patterns and horrifying pictures of the end of the world. At five equally spaced points stood stone obelisks, each about six feet high. The Silver Bloods forced her back against the closest obelisk and pulled her arms behind her back, chaining her hands in place before wrapping chains around her waist and ankles.

Across the altar, a group of Silver Bloods was doing the same thing to Jack, while another group was using rope to bind Schuyler, Bliss, and Oliver to the obelisk to Mimi's immediate left. The three of them stood facing inward, their wrists uncomfortably locked together. Behind her, she could hear Dylan making nasty comments about the Silver Bloods, and she guessed they'd bound him to one of the pillars holding up the cavern.

Mimi shifted as much as she could in the chains, trying to get comfortable. She didn't like not being able to see behind her, and she barely controlled her flinch when Kennedy and Kingsley stepped on the altar right next to her.

"Clear out, all of you," Kingsley ordered, and the Silver Bloods vacated the altar, pressing together so tightly they filled the cavern. Mimi bit her lip and hoped that she hadn't doomed them all by not listening to Bliss when she suggested the girls run.

"Excellent," Kennedy said, looking around and clapping her hands with glee. She spun to look at Kingsley, eyes wild with excitement. "Shall we begin?"

"Of course," Kingsley said, copying her smile. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small knife. "Would you like to do the honors?"

Kennedy nodded, smirking as she strutted over to where Schuyler, Oliver, and Bliss were tied. Meanwhile, Kingsley walked to the basin standing in the middle of the altar, reached in, and pulled out…two bowls? Mimi shook her head. She didn't have a good feeling about what was going to happen next.

"Thank you all for gathering here," Kingsley said, turning and addressing the circle. "We're thrilled you've all joined us, whether you've done so voluntarily or involuntarily." Mimi wished she was close enough to spit in his eye. "You will now witness the commencement of the Resurrection Spell and the rise of the Bright One, our glorious master, Lucifer."

Around them, the Silver Bloods were shifting, all but drooling in excitement. Kingsley offered them a smirk before nodding to Kennedy, who, grinning maniacally, raised the knife and slashed it down Oliver's arm.

Mimi heard him swallow a cry of pain, and across from her she saw Jack's eyes widened. She knew what he was thinking. Oliver had, unbeknownst to Kingsley, already lost a lot of blood. He couldn't exactly afford to lose more.

As Mimi watched, horrified, Kingsley held one of the bowls up to the slash on Oliver's arm, collecting his blood as it dripped out. On the floor, the Silver Bloods had begun to hiss, excited by the scent of blood. While Kingsley gathered Oliver's blood, Kennedy moved over to where Bliss was tied and copied the movement she'd made on Oliver. Bliss did cry out, and Mimi winced in sympathy for her friend.

"Stay BACK!" Kingsley's shout startled Mimi, and she spun to see him throw down two Silver Bloods who, frenzied at the scent of vampire blood, had lunged towards Bliss, ready to rip her off the altar. "Back!" Kingsley ordered, glaring daggers at the other Silver Bloods, who tossed their heads and growled but obeyed. "You'll get to eat soon enough," Kingsley told them, and Mimi shuddered.

Kingsley moved and held the second bowl up to Bliss's arm. Mimi could see him whisper something to her, and she shuddered and pulled away, eyes damp with tears. "Just piss off, Kingsley," Bliss said, and though her voice shook, she managed to glare at him.

"Now the spell can commence," Kingsley said, turning away from Bliss and walking towards the center of the circle. He stood before the basin and offered one of the bowls to Kennedy, who took it and stood opposite him.

"Great master, we humbly offer you the first of three sacrifices: the blood of a human and the blood of a vampire. May the blue blood remind you of the enemies left to vanquish. May the red blood remind you of the plague which overruns the earth and needs to be exterminated," Kennedy said.

"Plague?" Oliver called. "What am I, the swine flu?"

"Silence!" Kennedy hissed, while Mimi swallowed a slightly hysterical giggle. At a nod from Kingsley, Kennedy raised her bowl and tipped a few drops of the contents into the basin. Kingsley did the same, and Mimi frowned. They must have collected more than a few drops from Oliver and Bliss—why leave so much in the bowls?

Her question remained unanswered as Kingsley walked back over to where Schuyler, Oliver, and Bliss were tied and pulled out his knife once more. Mimi saw Schuyler's eyes go wide, but she didn't make a sound as Kingsley ran the knife down her cheek, causing thick blue blood to run down her face. Mimi winced. That might leave a scar. He walked around the pillar and copied the motion on Bliss, who clenched her jaw against the pain, sweat dripping down her face and mingling with the blood.

_Just wait_, Mimi thought, wishing Bliss and Schuyler could hear her. _Just hang on a little longer…_

Kingsley carried the knife back over and offered it to Kennedy, who grinned and held it over the bowl. "Great master," she said. "We offer you the second sacrifice: the Blood of the Uncorrupted. We offer it to show the weakness of your enemies, and to remind you of your mission: to free yourself from the tyrannical rule of Heaven and lead the angels in the fight for freedom."

"That's rich," Jack said. His voice was raspy and weak, but he stood tall as he glared at Kennedy and Kingsley. "Tyrannical rule? The only tyrannical ruler is Lucifer. He's the one obsessed with power."

"That's cute, coming from you, Abaddon," Kennedy said, turning and frowning at Jack. "Let's see, _who_ was the first angel to join him in his rebellion?"

"I was wrong," Jack said, voice so low Mimi almost couldn't hear him. "We all were."

"Whatever you say, Jacky Boy," Kingsley said, snorting and stepping between Kennedy and Jack. As Mimi watched, Kingsley poured half of the contents of his bowl of blood into Kennedy's, and she did the same for him, before he came around the basin and walked over to where Mimi was tied. Mimi tried to flinch back, but she was tied so tightly she couldn't move, and all she could do was stand there and glare as Kingsley dipped his fingers in the bowl and began to smear Oliver's blood across her face.

Mimi hardened her expression and refused to meet Kingsley's eyes, staring across the altar to where Jack was getting the same treatment from Kennedy. She was so focused on ignoring Kingsley that she flinched in surprise when he spoke in her ear. "You know, Azrael, there's still time," he murmured.

"Still time for what?" she shot back, to hide how much he creeped her out. "Time to save your sad Zac Efron hair? Sorry, Kingsley, but that ship sailed ages ago."

"You don't really want to live like this, do you?" he asked, dipping his hand again and running Bliss's blood over her face. "I know you, Azrael, better than anyone, even Abaddon. You and I were the first. You're not made to live among those creatures—you're so much better than that. You want power, and control. You're the Angel of Death—you're made for the dark. There's still time—you don't even have to do anything, just keep pretending until the ritual's complete. You know the Morning Star will welcome you back with open arms—he always said you were the deadliest of all his angels. Join us, darling, and we can have it all. You don't need Abaddon any more than I need Semael. They're younger, more impetuous. They don't understand. How many times has Abaddon strayed from your side? I'll be faithful to you—I have been faithful to you ever since I was born. Don't you want someone who will love you like you deserve?"

Mimi said nothing, too stunned to respond, as Kingsley pulled out his knife and slid it gently along the crease where her neck met her shoulder. Mimi bit her tongue as she felt blood dripping down her neck, and she prayed Kingsley hadn't cut too deeply. As Mimi watched, disgusted and fascinated, Kingsley cut open his own palm and cupped his hand against her shoulder, so their blood pooled together in his hand.

"Think about it, Azrael," Kingsley whispered, offering her a little smirk before walking back to the basin.

Kennedy had her hand similarly cupped, and Mimi saw a matching cut on Jack's neck. Kennedy had painted a series of symbols on his face that matched the symbols on the floor of the altar, and as Mimi watched Kennedy and Kingsley used their free hands to copy the symbols onto each other.

When they were done, they stood facing the basin, bloody hands clasped over the surface. "Master," Kennedy began. "We offer you the third and final sacrifice: the blood of your Apocalyptic Angels. We are ready and willing to stand by your side once again, and we would give our lives to ensure your return. Please, dark master, lead us once again." Kingsley nodded, and then they both plunged their hands into the basin.

Mimi heard Schuyler and Oliver gasp in shock as there was a loud hiss and a dark column of smoke began to seep into the room, but she stayed quiet, too stunned to make a sound. As soon as Kingsley and Kennedy's hands had touched the blood in the basin, Mimi had felt a force pulse through her, like someone had given her an electric shock. She could still feel the force pulling on her, calling to her like a familiar song. She glanced down and saw that her veins were illuminated, shining a dark, searing blue. A glance showed her that Kennedy, Kingsley, and Jack had experience a similar reaction, the four of them the only bright things in the rapidly darkening cave.

"It's time," Kingsley called, and as Mimi watched he pulled out the jewel and raised it over the basin. "It's time," he said again. "Tell the story," he ordered Kennedy. "Tell the story and call him forth."

"Listen well, all of you," Kennedy said, and she no longer sounded like a spoiled teenager, but like an ancient being. She paced around the circle as she spoke, voice clear and measured. "Listen to the words I speak. Listen to the story, dark master, and take strength from my words."

She circled once more then came to a stop in front of Bliss, Schuyler, and Oliver. "Listen to my story. Bear witness to the origin of the Apocalyptic Angels."


	35. Interlude: Apocalyptic Angels

_ At the beginning, there was God. And God made the animals and the plants and the oceans and the mountains and the sweet wind which blows through the world. And then God created a man, Adam, and a woman, Eve. And God was pleased. _

_ Soon, however, the man and the woman disobeyed God, forcing God to order them out of Paradise. In Paradise they would have been granted eternal life, but outside of Paradise they eventually withered and grew old, and so the first of the Apocalyptic Angels, Death, was born. _

_ Now, Adam and Eve had two sons, named Cain and Abel. God declared He was pleased with Abel's gift of a ram over Cain's gift of wheat, and so Cain and Abel quarreled. Cain murdered Abel, and so the second of the Apocalyptic Angels, War, was born. _

_ For many years the descendents of Adam and Eve populated the earth, but they forsook the ways of the Lord and became sinful. God, displeased with what His creations had done, commissioned Noah to build an ark to save his family and two of every animal on earth. When it was done God called up a great flood to overtake the world, and so the third of the Apocalyptic Angels, Destruction, was born. _

_ Once again the people of the earth populated and prospered, but once again they displeased God. God chose Abram, a descendent of Noah whom He renamed Abraham, and his wife, Sarah, and ordered them to flee Canaan for Egypt. After Abraham and his family left, a sickness fell over crops and the water, killing the people of Canaan, and so the fourth of the Apocalyptic Angels, Starvation, was born. _

_ For many years, the Israelites populated and prospered in Egypt, but then the Pharaoh became fearful that they were becoming too many, and so the Egyptians enslaved the Israelites. For generations the Israelites lived in bondage, but they prayed to their Lord, and, moved by their prayers, He chose a man, Moses, to free the slaves and lead them out of Egypt._

_ Moses, under God's command, tried to persuade the pharaoh to release the Israelites and allow them to leave peacefully, but his pleas were ignored again and again. And so God, with a heavy heart, called upon His Apocalyptic Angels once more to bring their curses down upon the land of Egypt. _

_First, War, harbinger of chaos, caused the waters of the land to turn to red, and when the people dipped their cups in to drink they found the rivers ran with blood, just as the blood of the fallen runs over the ground in battle._

_ Next, Starvation, youngest of the angels, caused frogs to rain from the sky, carrying sickness into every household and filling the water and food with pestilence, and the people of Egypt were forced to go without sustenance until they began to whither away. _

_ Thirdly, Destruction, who brings cities to ruin, called forth a great wave of locusts, who devoured the clothes and the belongings and the plants and the crops of the people of Egypt, leaving their homes in tatters and their livelihoods destroyed._

_ Again, then, War, who whispers greedy thoughts into men's ears, waved his hand and a cloud of flies, gnats, and lice, the parasites who feed on men's bodies, who along with the carrion are the only beneficiaries of battle, swept across the land, crawling into children's hair, covering the bodies of the old and the dying with their greedy mouths. _

_ Then Starvation, who draws the life slowly from her victims, caused a great sickness to fall upon both man and beast. The cattle and sheep grew weary and ill and fell dead where they stood, while the skin of the men, women, and children became overgrown with boils. _

_ Destruction, who overtakes men's hearts with pride, made fire and hail rain down from the heavens, wrecking homes and buildings, wearing away even at the sides of the Great Pyramids of the old kings. And then Destruction raised his hand and a great darkness fell over the land of Egypt._

_ And it was then that Death, first and most powerful of all, stretched forth her shriveled hand and took the lives of the firstborn, the eldest child in each household, and a great wailing rose over Egypt, and the Pharaoh, whose only son was snatched in Death's cold fingers, released the slaves from their bondage. _

_ And God saw what they had wrought and was pleased. _

_ But another angel—Lucifer, the Morning Star—also saw what the angels had done. And he came to them, and spoke to them in beguiling tongues. Lucifer, Angel of Light, had grown weary with obeying the Lord, and so he conceived a plan to invade Heaven and overthrow God. He spoke to the Four, asked them what their purpose was now that the slaves were free._

_ "We do what the Lord commands us," replied Death, first warrior of Heaven. _

_ "But He does not love you. For He is all that is bright and good, and by your very natures you bring nothing but pain and darkness. He created you, made you what you are, and then reviles you for being what he created you to be." And he convinced the Four to come with him, to overthrow Heaven, and so they became the first of his Rebel Angels._

_ We are his guardians, his lieutenants, and he is most powerful when we stand by his side. In his name, we stand here now—ready once again to fight with him. We call him out by our names, by the names he blessed us with when the Lord God would have given us none:_

_Semael, Angel of Starvation, devourer of men's bodies and Messenger of the Morning Star. _

_Abaddon, Angel of Destruction, wrecker of men's cities and leader of Satan's armies._

_Mephistopheles, Angel of War, inspirer of hatred in men's hearts, who beguiled angels to Lucifer's side._

_Azrael, Angel of Death, thief of men's souls and Assassin of God's Warriors. _

_Azrael, Angela de Mortis. Mephistopheles, Angelus de Bellum. Abaddon, Angelus de Eversio. Semael, Angela de Inedia. Advocatus iste, Magnus Dominus, venio et adductus olim amprius._

**I tweaked Bibical canon a tiny bit to make it fit better with the angels' stories, but other than that these stories (minus the presence of the angels) match the Bible. I may or may not have listened to **_**The Prince of Egypt**_** soundtrack while writing this. **


	36. Dulce Et Decorum Est

Schuyler leaned her face against the stone pillar and bit her tongue, both to hold back the pain from the cut on her cheek and to keep from shuddering as Kennedy finished her story. Dead silence reigned as Kennedy stopped speaking and stood next to the basin. Schuyler couldn't see Jack, but Mimi was staring straight ahead, expression cold and unreadable.

Schuyler shuddered and turned away from her sister—her mind still refused to accept that fact—to look to the center of the room. Kingsley was holding out the Rose of Lucifer, and it gleamed in the dim light of the cavern. "Master, accept what rightfully belongs to you," Kingsley said. "We return this jewel to you in hopes that you will once again rise and lead us to victory over Heaven."

Kingsley and Kennedy exchanged glances, then Kingsley dropped the jewel in the basin before going and standing against the pillar to Mimi's right. Kennedy moved out of Schuyler's line of sight, presumably to Jack's right. Schuyler exchanged glances with Bliss, who was moving her lips in silent prayer. If they were wrong, if this didn't work…

For several seconds everyone, from Schuyler to Jack to Kennedy to the Silver Bloods, stood tense and waiting, until…nothing happened. After a full minute had gone by, Schuyler allowed herself to relax, and a little color came back into Bliss's cheeks.

"What's going on?" Kennedy demanded, breaking the silence, and Schuyler breathed a sigh of relief at the confirmation that things were not proceeding as they should be.

"Bliss must be the wrong daughter," Kingsley said, although Schuyler thought he looked pale under the blood on his face. That had been one of the most disgusting experiences of Schuyler's life, watching Kingsley cut Bliss and Oliver and then smear their blood on Mimi's face. Schuyler didn't know if she'd ever wanted to harm someone as much as she did Kingsley Martin.

"Here," Kingsley said, carrying the jewel over and roughly yanking Schuyler free of her bonds. She bit her lip to keep from crying out as the ropes tore her skin, and glared up at Kingsley as he thrust the jewel into her hands. "Give it to me."

"You could say please," Oliver said, and Schuyler smiled grimly, pleased that he could still joke under the circumstances.

"Give it to me," Kingsley ordered, ignoring Oliver, eyes focused on Schuyler. She took a deep breath and tried to catch Mimi's eyes, looking for a last confirmation that this would work, but the other girl didn't acknowledge her at all.

Schuyler gave a tiny frown. She wondered what Kingsley had been whispering to Mimi the whole time he'd been painting her face. He'd whispered to her for several seconds, and when he'd walked away Mimi's expression had been unreadable. When Kingsley spoke to Bliss he'd merely taunted her, and she'd rejected him straight away. So far Schuyler had seen Mimi act with nothing but contempt towards Kingsley—what could he have possibly said that made her look thoughtful instead of angry?

"Give it to me, or I'll kill the Red Blood now," Kingsley said, hand reaching towards Oliver's throat, and Schuyler made a snap decision. She had to trust that their plan would work—she didn't have another choice at this point.

"Here," she said, thrusting the jewel back into Kingsley's hand. He grabbed it and pocketed it before retying her. "Leave Oliver alone."

"Sure…for now," Kingsley said, regaining a little of his swagger as he walked back over to the basin and Kennedy. He took a deep breath before raising the jewel again, which told Schuyler that he wasn't as confident as he was pretending to be. "Master, accept what rightfully belongs to you. We return this jewel to you in hopes that you will once again rise and lead us to victory over Heaven."

Kingsley dropped the Rose of Lucifer into the basin, and he and Kennedy moved to stand by the pillars. Schuyler felt her stomach sink as the basin began to emit a deep green light, which brightened and grew with every passing second. They'd been wrong. They'd been wrong, and now they really were doomed—

Suddenly, the light went out, and for several seconds nothing happened—no lights, no noise, no movement from anyone in the room. "Impossible," Kennedy breathed, and now Schuyler could hear a real undercurrent of panic in her voice.

"Bring me that book," Kingsley snapped, and Schuyler bit her lip as one of the Silver Bloods passed forward the book her mother had designed to help protect the jewel. She'd wondered what had happened to it.

"My name is Mephistopheles, the Angel of War. I spread chaos and ruin wherever I go. Tell me your secrets," Kingsley rattled off, and Schuyler realized he must have had time to figure out how the book worked. There was a pause, and then Kingsley said, "I wish to know who Gabrielle bequeathed the Rose of Lucifer to."

"It says her daughter," Kingsley muttered.

"It must be wrong," Kennedy said, twisting her hair around her fingers. She realized a second later what she was doing and stopped.

"Why would they have it otherwise?" Kingsley said. He scowled at the book. "Under what conditions did Gabrielle give the Rose to her daughter?" he asked, then frowned as he read. "Wisdom and discernment, of course. But…ah." He glanced up, eyes locked on Schuyler, and Schuyler knew what it had told him.

"You haven't been presented at the 400 Ball, have you?" Kingsley asked, stalking back over to her.

"No," Schuyler said, since there was no point in lying at this point.

"So, answer me this," Kingsley said softly. "Who is your sister? Where is she?"

"I…I don't know," Schuyler said. She gulped and tried to speak clearer. "I don't know the answer to either question. I thought Bliss was my sister."

"But Bliss hasn't been presented either!" Kingsley growled. "If neither of you are old enough to inherit it, then Gabrielle must still be the owner, but she's no longer in any state to possess anything, so I should be able to just take it! Who's your sister?" he asked again, pressing his finger into the cut on Schuyler's cheek. She bit her tongue to keep herself from screaming.

"I told you, I don't know!" Schuyler said, fighting with everything in her to keep from looking at Mimi. Mimi was supposed to speak up, to distract Kingsley—that had been their plan. But Mimi stayed silent.

"You must know something," Kingsley said, glaring down at her. There was a deranged look in his eyes that frightened Schuyler. They'd wanted him confused and desperate, but if he completely lost it…she could still feel the blood running hot and thick down her cheek, pooling on her shoulder and staining her shirt. "You lived with Cordelia for years, and Lawrence just after that. One of them must have told you something."

"They didn't, I swear," Schuyler said, trying to sound convincing. She didn't know why Mimi was hesitating, but unless she spoke up now, Schuyler was going to have to think of something else, and fast.

"Tell me, or I'll break your fingers," Kingsley said, face eerily calm as he reached out and grabbed her bound hand, bending her fingers back so far that Schuyler felt tears gathering in her eyes.

"Stop it!" Oliver yelled, starling them all. Kingsley let go of Schuyler and turned to look at him. "Stop," Oliver said. "Don't hurt her. Schuyler doesn't know, but I do. Just leave her alone and I'll tell you."

Schuyler's heart thudded in her chest. There was no way Oliver knew, was there? Could he have found out during his work as a Conduit?

"Tell me. Now. One chance, or I'll break her fingers, and yours too," Kingsley said, expression dangerous as he turned to Oliver.

"It's Piper Crandall," Oliver said, speaking with absolute confidence. There was a pause, and then Kingsley reached out and slapped Oliver so hard that his face smacked into the pillar.

"Fool!" Kingsley yelled, and now he was definitely mad. "Fool! You dare to try and trick me? You, an insignificant little human? I was there when your ancestors first came crawling out of their caves, you insolent child! How _dare_ you defy me! Piper Crandall is Shamshiel, an insignificant lackey of Michael's. Gabrielle wouldn't demean herself by carrying such an unimportant spirit."

Kingsley stepped back and shook his head, almost giggling to himself. "That was ballsey of you, Oliver. I didn't think you had it in you. I gave you a shot and you mock me." He stepped forward so his face was inches from Oliver's, a little smirk playing around his lips. "And now you die."

Kingsley bared his fangs and moved to sink his teeth into Oliver's throat, and Schuyler began tugging desperately at her bonds, opening her mouth to scream in fear and rage, but at that moment something stopped both her and Kingsley cold.

"It's me, Kingsley," Mimi said casually, as if she was announcing her turn in a game. "I'm Allegra's daughter."

There was a pause, as everyone turned to gape a Mimi, expressions ranging from incredulous to angry to fearful.

"No," Kingsley said, staring at her. "No. You're not."

"I am," Mimi said calmly. "Come over here and unchain me and I'll show you."

Kingsley snorted. "I'd have to be a fool to unchain you, Azrael."

"Sorry I held out on you for so long," Mimi said, ignoring his words. "I wanted to think about what you said. And I decided you're right."

"Right about what?" Kennedy demanded, voicing the question they were all thinking. Schuyler saw that Kingsley's expression was a mixture of apprehension and hope.

"Right about the fact that I'm fighting for the wrong side," Mimi said, and Schuyler felt like someone had punched her in the gut. She should have known, should have anticipated this. Less than two weeks ago, she'd had no reason to trust Mimi—in fact, quite the opposite. Why had she thought that Mimi had changed?

Schuyler bent her head, biting her lip to stop the tears of frustration that threatened to pour down her face. She knew why. Mimi had spent all that time and energy training her, teaching her, and Schuyler had dared to think that if they weren't quite friends, they were no longer enemies, either. She'd thought that Mimi had stopped seeing her as the Half Blood, the annoying blip in the radar, and had begun to see her as a person. She'd thought that Mimi respected her.

_I saved your life_, Schuyler wanted to say. _I risked everything and saved your life. You thanked me for saving Jack—did none of that mean anything?_ And as for Jack…Schuyler shook her head. It was clear now that Mimi had never cared for him—she just wanted Jack because he was supposed to be hers. Schuyler knew that whatever she was feeling now, it must be ten times worse for Jack.

"Mimi, what the hell are you talking about?" Jack said, shock and horror in his voice, and Schuyler winced.

"I'm sick of it, Jack," Mimi said, eyes locked on Jack as she spoke. "I'm sick of the lying, of the sneaking around, of the unfaithfulness. I was a fool to ever let you seduce me—I was just the first in a string of girls, wasn't I?" She turned to look at Kingsley. "I should have stayed with the only person who's ever truly loved me."

"You _bitch_—" Kennedy started, but Kingsley turned to glare at her and she shut up, expression mutinous.

"Why should I trust you?" Kingsley asked, walked cautiously towards Mimi.

Mimi gave a tiny shrug, inhibited by the chains. "Let me hand you the Rose of Lucifer, and you'll have your proof. I wouldn't tell you I was Allegra's daughter unless I was on your side. That would be foolish. Just let me hand you the jewel and you'll see."

"Mimi—" Jack started.

"Shut up," she said. "Kingsley?"

"What the hell is she doing?" Oliver hissed, and Schuyler shook her head.

"It's what she said," Schuyler said bitterly. "She's changing sides."

"Kingsley—" Kennedy said, tugging on his arm as he approached Mimi.

"Not now," Kingsley said, shaking her off. He stopped in front of Mimi, the Rose of Lucifer clenched in his fist. Shoulders tense, he nodded curtly to the Silver Blood closest to Mimi, who pulled out a key and began unlocking her wrists, staying as far back from her as possible.

Mimi stretched her arms over her head, cracking her joints before shaking herself and smiling at Kingsley. "That feels great," she said. "What about my feet?"

"The jewel," Kingsley said, voice tight.

"Oh, fine, the jewel," Mimi said, holding out her hand impatiently.

"Mimi, don't do this!" Bliss begged, and Schuyler could hear that she was fighting tears. Bliss was facing away from her friend, but she could hear everything that was happening.

"Sorry, Bliss," Mimi said, not sounding sorry at all as she turned the jewel over casually in her hand. "But don't blame me because you didn't get your fairytale ending. Here," she added, thrusting the jewel back into Kingsley's hand.

Instantly, the jewel glowed bright green, reflecting light off of every surface in the room. If Schuyler'd had any doubts about who Mimi was, they ended in a second. Of course Mimi was the daughter of Gabrielle—she'd taken everything else from Schuyler, so why not her identity as well?

"It's true," Kingsley said, sounding at least as shocked as Schuyler felt. "Everyone thought…but then Allegra and Charles must have actually mated before she left him. Is it possible that the Pure Hearted chose to raise the Apocalyptic Angels? Amazing. Too bad your plan failed, Gabrielle," he said to the air, and Schuyler knew he'd truly lost it.

"But…I don't…how is this…" Jack said, and Schuyler felt bad for him. He had to be more confused and hurt than the rest of them put together.

"Don't bother trying to understand," Mimi told him dismissively. "My feet?" she said, turning back to Kingsley.

"Don't—" Kennedy said, but Kingsley nodded to the Silver Blood, who unbolted the chains around Mimi's feet.

Any residual hope that Schuyler held about Mimi's intentions came to a screeching halt when Mimi stepped free of her chains and smirked at Kingsley, taking his arm as she led him towards the basin. "Let's get this over with," she said. Schuyler couldn't believe it. She was going to do it. Mimi was going to help Kingsley bring back Lucifer. They'd been wrong—all of them. Mimi wasn't innocent—she'd never been innocent.

Schuyler watched them numbly as next to her, Oliver shook his head in disbelief or denial. "She knows what will happen," he muttered. "She knows the consequences. How can she just—"

"She's Azrael," Bliss said, voice flat. "She's always been a Dark Angel."

Kingsley jerked his head impatiently at Kennedy, who moved back to her pillar, murder written all over her skeletal face. Kingsley smiled at Mimi and took her hands across the basin, and Schuyler fought the tears that threatened to pour down her cheeks. Mimi had lied to her. She'd lied, and betrayed them, and now they were all going to die. Schuyler was a fool for thinking that Mimi had changed.

"I'm so sorry, Ollie," she whispered.

"It's not your fault," he said, trying to smile at her. His eyes were glazed from blood loss, and Schuyler knew he wouldn't last much longer without help. "Love you, Sky."

"Love you too, Ollie," she said, keeping her voice from shaking with effort. Next to her, Bliss had her face pressed against the pillar, tears pouring down her cheeks. Schuyler leaned over with effort and rested her head against Bliss's shoulder.

"I wish you really were my sister," she said, and Bliss gave a watery giggle.

"Me too," Bliss said.

"Ready?" Kingsley asked Mimi, drawing their attention back to the center. Mimi nodded and smiled.

"Let's do this," Mimi said. She leaned forward and, as Schuyler watched, disgusted, kissed Kingsley briefly on the lips. "Let's get this over with. We have a lot of catching up to do."

Kingsley looked stunned but pleased as he held the jewel aloft so it glittered in the air. "Master, accept what rightfully belongs to you. We return this jewel to you in hopes that you will once again rise and lead—"

Mimi grabbed Kingsley's wrist and twisted hard, causing his to drop the jewel into her waiting hand. He opened his mouth, startled, and Mimi drew back her free hand and punched him full in the face.

For one second, no one moved, stunned, as Kingsley raised his hand to his mouth. It came away dripping with blood. For one second he looked shocked and lost, but then he snarled and lunged forward, grabbing Mimi's arm and attempting to reach the jewel. Mimi leaned into him and head-butted him in the face, making him break his hold, but he locked his arms around her waist and tackled her to the ground. Mimi fought to wriggle free as Kingsley reached for the jewel, and the Silver Bloods prepared to surge forward.

"NO!" Kennedy ordered them. "If you come up here you'll contaminate the area. This is sacred ground. We'll deal with this."

Schuyler began tugging frantically at her bonds, desperate to get free and help Mimi. Mimi had managed to twist free of Kingsley's hold, but Kennedy had hurried over to help Kingsley, and Mimi now faced both dark angels, who looked ready to kill her. Schuyler knew Mimi couldn't fight both of them alone, and so she fought to get free, yanking at her bonds. If she didn't hurry, then her failure to trust Mimi could get them all killed.

"_Just listen to me," Mimi hissed in Schuyler's ear, leaning hard on her shoulder. Around them the Silver Bloods were snickering at the sight of the Angel of Death breaking down in tears, and Mimi used the cover to share her plan with Schuyler. _

"_The only way we can get out of here is if we can break free and fight. Once the ritual starts the Silver Bloods can't come near—it's sacred ground, and they're tainted. Kingsley will chain Jack and I, but hopefully he won't use sacred bonds on you. You have to break free and get to Jack. It's our only hope. Understand?" _

"Guys, help me!" Schuyler muttered urgently to Bliss and Oliver, who were watching Mimi, Kingsley, and Kennedy circle each other. They glanced back at her and saw what she was trying to do, and Oliver leaned back as far as he could, making the ropes taunt, while Bliss helped Schuyler yank at the ropes, both girls putting their full strength into it.

"You bitch," Kingsley was saying to Mimi, anger masking real hurt. "You really are heartless, aren't you?"

Mimi said nothing, just kept her feet planted as she shifted to look between Kingsley and Kennedy, the jewel clenched tight in her fist. Schuyler swallowed a cry of triumph as her one wrist broke free, and Bliss quickly moved to block Schuyler from the Silver Bloods' line of sight.

"Give it back," Kennedy ordered, voice even more grating than before. "Give it back right now."

"Say 'please,'" Mimi said, and Kennedy's eyes widened in rage before she lunged at Mimi, almost knocking the other girl over as she crashed into her. Kingsley used Kennedy's distraction to lock an arm around Mimi's neck, squeezing her throat.

Mimi stomped on his instep and twisted out of his grip, but Kennedy threw herself on Mimi, scratching her face with her claw-like fingernails. Mimi yelped in pain as Kennedy drew blood, and then Kingsley tackled her to the ground, using his superior weight to hold her down.

Schuyler watched in horror as Kingsley locked his hands around Mimi's neck as Kennedy bent her arms back, twisting her wrists to make Mimi let go of Lucifer's Bane. Schuyler growled in frustration and _yanked_, pulling free of her bonds with a snap.

She started to head towards Jack as the Silver Bloods began yelling, alerting Kingsley and Kennedy to what she'd done, but then Schuyler froze and turned back. Kingsley had pulled Mimi's head back, exposing her throat, and he held her by her hair as he bared his fangs, eyes glittering with hate.

Schuyler hesitated for less than a second before making her decision. She sprinted across the altar and threw her arms around Kennedy, tackling the girl the ground and pulling her off Mimi. Kennedy writhed like a snake, twisting underneath Schuyler and jabbing her nails into Schuyler's arm, making her flinch and let go.

Kennedy smacked Schuyler hard across the face and used the moment to lunge to her feet, but it was too late. Mimi had twisted free of Kingsley and the two of them were circling, all but growling at each other as they faced off. Schuyler quickly stood and moved to face Kennedy, and a second later Mimi was standing against her back.

"I told you to get Jack," Mimi hissed.

"You looked like you needed help," Schuyler countered, inwardly rolling her eyes as she moved her feet to match Kennedy's movements. Some things never changed.

"I had it covered," Mimi said.

"Sure," Schuyler said, feinting back as Kennedy darted forward. "So, what's the plan?"

"Protect the jewel, beat these jerks, escape the Silver Bloods, save the world, and then…maybe the mall?" Mimi suggested.

"Perfect," Schuyler said, grinning as she watched Kennedy, waiting for a twitch or a step that would give her away. "You ready for this?" she asked, voice turning more serious.

"Yes…and so are you," Mimi said. "Remember what I taught you?"

"Of course," Schuyler said. "Use all your senses, be quick and tricky, stay on your feet, keep back to back with your partner…"

"And never make the first move," Mimi finished, and though they couldn't see it, both girls wore identical grins as they watched their opponents, waiting for them to make the first move, the first mistake.


	37. A Good Man Goes to War

Jack bit his lip as he watched Kennedy and Kingsley circle Schuyler and Mimi. Kennedy was panting hard, her thin chest heaving with each breath, with Kingsley was shaking with rage as he glared at Mimi and Schuyler.

Kingsley lunged towards Mimi, but she didn't even flinch, and he pulled back without touching her. Kennedy hissed, her eyes wild, and for one second Jack thought she was going to attack Schuyler, but Kennedy stayed where she was, her eyes locked on Kingsley. She was afraid, Jack realized.

"You think you stand a chance against us, Half-Blood?" Kennedy taunted. She reached out and flicked Schuyler on the arm, but Schuyler barely spared her a glance. Schuyler's eyes were locked on Kingsley, who was standing in front of her.

"You think _you_ stand a chance, Semael?" Mimi shot back, her smile sharp and mocking. "I know what Schuyler can do, and I know she can beat you. I trained her."

Jack yanked on his bonds in frustration, unsurprised when the chains didn't move. He reached out hard to Mimi with his mind, the equivalent of shouting in her face, but still she refused to respond. He didn't want to distract her, but he needed some answers. What had Mimi meant when she said she was the daughter of Gabrielle? Jack had thought she was bluffing, but then the jewel had responded to Kingsley's words. Was it possible? Was it true that Gabrielle was her—their—mother?

"You know Kingsley, you were so cute when you thought I actually had feelings for you," Mimi said, bringing Jack back to the brewing fight. Mimi laughed, but Jack could see her eyes were hard and flat as she watched Kingsley's every move.

Kingsley's lip curled into an angry snarl, but his voice was calm when he spoke. "You hurt my feelings, Mimi. But don't worry. I'm over it. I've always known you're a capricious little slut," he said viciously.

Jack's hands curled into fists, his muscles straining as he pulled against the chains. He'd had more than enough of Kingsley's degrading comments about Mimi.

If Mimi was similarly bothered, she didn't show it. "Well, I guess you wouldn't stay bothered for long, would you, Kingsley? I mean, no matter what you do you'll always have Semael waiting to throw herself at you. You've always been good at settling for sloppy seconds."

Kennedy shrieked, her hands like claws as she lunged for Mimi. Her hands tangled in Mimi's hair and yanked hard, snapping Mimi's head back. Jack gasped, but a second later Mimi ducked under Kennedy's grip and grabbed the other girl's arm, ducking low as she flipped Kennedy over her head.

"Sky, watch out!" Oliver yelled, and Jack turned to see Kingsley pull his switchblade out of his pocket. Schuyler danced back as Kingsley flipped the blade open and lunged for her, his movements lightning fast.

Mimi came darting up behind Kingsley and kicked him sharply in the back of his knee, causing him to stumble and almost fall. Kingsley turned to Mimi with a snarl as Schuyler turned and blocked the blow Kennedy was aiming at her face.

For a moment, Schuyler and Kennedy locked arms, Kennedy bearing down on the smaller girl, before Schuyler ducked and rolled away, springing to her feet a second later. Kennedy lunged for Schuyler again as Kingsley and Mimi feinted and parried, each striking and withdrawing but never landing a blow on each other.

Jack tugged again on his bonds, scowling when he heard a Silver Blood laughing behind him. Jack watched Kennedy knock Schuyler to the ground as Kingsley narrowly missed stabbing Mimi in the shoulder. Jack bit his lip so hard he felt blood well up in his mouth. He had to help them, but he had no chance of breaking the chains on his own, and Mimi had him locked out of her head.

Jack let out a slow breath, and though it went against every instinct, he closed his eyes, doing his best to block out the fight. From his old memories, Jack knew he had a knack for reading others' thoughts, but he hadn't had time to explore the skill in this lifetime. Now wasn't the time to try and teach himself, but Jack couldn't think of another option.

Reaching out with his mind, Jack found the familiar signature of Mimi's thoughts. Concentrating as hard as he could, Jack pushed Mimi away and reached out through the glom, seeking other minds.

_-Azrael, knew we shouldn't trust her/Abaddon, betrayed us before, never faithful, if only Kingsley had listened, but he still wants her, hate/envy Azrael, Half-Blood stronger than I thought, too strong, need to escape—_

Jack wrenched himself away from Kennedy's thoughts, his chest heaving as if he'd run a marathon. It was a horrible, sickening feeling, completely different from sensing Mimi's thoughts. Jack shuddered at the thought of doing it again, but he knew he had to try. He could hear Bliss and Oliver yelling out warnings and encouragement to the girls, and from their panicked tones Jack knew things weren't going well. Jack took a deep breath, then reached out again with his mind.

_-watch Mimi's back, aah! my shoulder throb/pain don't think about it, Kingsley too strong, need help, have to protect OliverBlissJackDylan, watch out! Mimi bleeding, Kennedy's eyes, hatred/fear, I can't help her, need to keep fighting—_

_Schuyler! _

Jack felt Schuyler physically jerk when she heard his voice in her head, and Jack winced when he felt her tumble to the ground under a blow from Kingsley's fist

_Jack? What? In my head, how's that possible/what's going on, Jack help Mimi I need—_

_Schuyler, listen to me! _Jack felt her flinch in shock and fear as he yelled at her, but Jack didn't have time to feel bad. _Schuyler, you have to free me_, Jack said, and he figured it could only help when some of his fear and anxiety leaked through. _Get the keys from Kingsley and let me go. You and Mimi need my help! _

Someone screamed, and Jack was ripped away from Schuyler's thoughts as his eyes snapped open. He turned to see Bliss staring in horror at the center of the altar. Kingsley had Mimi pinned to the ground, his knees holding her hips in place as he used one hand to hold her wrists over her head. In his free hand, Kingsley held his knife, the blade poised to plunge into Mimi's heart.

"No!" Jack yelled, knowing it was useless. Next to Kingsley, Kennedy laughed in triumph as she darted back and forth, blocking Schuyler from reaching Mimi.

Kingsley ran the knife teasingly down the front of Mimi's chest, cutting her shirt open to the navel. She strained against him, trying to break free, but Kingsley kept her arms pinned in place. He dragged the flat of the knife over Mimi's cheeks, smiling tenderly at her. "Shh, love, just shh," he said, and Jack's stomach curled.

Kingsley flicked the knife against the button of Mimi's jeans, the steel echoing against metal with a dull ping. "What was that you were saying about faking your feelings for me?" Kingsley asked. He leaned down and kissed Mimi's cheek, before raising his head and looking directly at Jack.

"What do you think, Jacky-boy? Should I take a little taste?"

Jack glared back, his whole body shaking with rage. "You—"

"NO!"

Jack and Kingsley both looked towards Kennedy, who had spun to glare at Kingsley. "You promised!" she yelled. "You swore to me you were done! You're supposed to want me! You're supposed to—"

Whatever else Kingsley was supposed to do, Jack never found out. Schuyler leapt forward, taking advantage of Kennedy's distraction, and wrapped the taller girl's long black hair around her hand. Schuyler yanked back hard, and Kennedy shrieked as she was thrown onto her back. Schuyler didn't pause, just leapt over the other girl and threw herself onto Kingsley, wrenching him away from Mimi.

Jack gasped as Kingsley's knife grazed Mimi's face, but the blade only left a shallow cut as Kingsley swung his arm up, trying to dislodge Schuyler. Schuyler wrapped both her arms tight around Kingsley's neck, her legs clinging to his hips as she squeezed.

Kingsley tumbled sideways, trying to dislodge Schuyler, and Mimi leapt to her feet, turning to throw Kennedy over her hip in the same move. Mimi's shirt was hanging open all the way to her navel, and after a second she shrugged it off, turning back to face Kennedy in just her jeans and black sports bra.

Mimi tossed back her head, her long blonde hair shimmering like a golden flag. She laughed, her eyes alight. "Come on, Semael," she said, tilting her head back and exposing her neck. "You know you want to."

Kennedy growled and lunged for Mimi, and Mimi laughed and danced easily out of the way. Jack's eyes narrowed as Kennedy continued to chase Mimi across the altar. He didn't think Kennedy realized, but Mimi was drawing closer and closer to the pillar where Oliver and Bliss were tied.

"Get OFF of me, you freak!" Kingsley twisted, trying to pull Schuyler off of his back. She kneed him hard in the side before dropping to the ground, panting for breath. Kingsley lunged for her, and before Schuyler could dodge, he grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her across the altar.

Jack gasped as Schuyler crashed to the ground a few feet in front of him. He opened his mouth to ask if she was okay, but then Schuyler pulled herself up and waved a hand towards him, clearly saying she was unhurt. Jack's eyes widened. He'd seen what was in Schuyler's hand.

"How dare you, you little abomination," Kingsley hissed, glaring at Schuyler as he advanced towards her. Schuyler's eyes widened and she scrambled to her feet. "I'm going to rip you limb from limb," Kingsley growled, his fangs bared as he stalked towards Schuyler.

Schuyler backed up until she almost collided with Jack, her eyes wide and pleading. "I'm sorry Kingsley!" she said. "I didn't mean to! I just didn't want you to take my mother's necklace. Please don't hurt me!"

"It's too late for that," Kingsley said. His eyes were narrowed to slits as he stalked Schuyler, his switchblade back in his hand.

"No!" Schuyler gasped. She spun and threw her arms around Jack's waist, reaching all the way around the pillar as she hugged him. "Don't let him hurt me, Jack, please!"

Jack felt Schuyler's hand lock with his behind his back, and then something cold and heavy fell into his palm. It took everything in Jack to keep from grinning in triumph. She'd done it. Schuyler had heard his message, and she'd listened. Jack twisted his bound hands, turning to fit the key into the lock.

Kingsley grabbed Schuyler's shoulders and yanked her away from Jack, and Jack fought to turn the key. He knew that Schuyler had been faking in order to get close enough to give him the key, but he also knew that Schuyler was no match for Kingsley, and the other boy would be enraged when he realized Schuyler had tricked him.

Schuyler raked her fingernails down Kingsley's face as he tried to wrap his hands around her neck, and he hissed and pulled back before slapping her sharply. He punched Schuyler hard in the stomach, driving her to the ground. Schuyler gasped in pain and scrambled back before straightening up and settling into a fighter's crouch.

Jack felt the shackles around his wrists snap open, and he pulled impatiently out of the chains before reaching down to free his feet. Behind him, he could hear the Silver Bloods growling, calling a warning to Kingsley, and Jack put the key in the lock and wrenched it open even as Kingsley spun towards him.

Jack yanked at the chains around his feet, struggling to free himself. Kingsley had shoved Schuyler aside and was coming for him, knife drawn and ready. Jack twisted back and almost tripped over the chains. Kingsley smiled in triumph, but before the knife plunged down Kingsley was seized from behind and thrown to the ground.

"It's about time you decided to help us," Mimi said, offering Jack her hand even as she turned and blocked the blow Kingsley aimed at her face.

"Ready for this?" Mimi asked, gesturing to where Kingsley and Kennedy where moving towards them, their faces masks of hatred.

Jack rolled his shoulders, feeling the blood Oliver had given him flowing hot through his veins, fueling his strength and rage. "More than ready."

Mimi smiled at him, his bloodlust reflected in her face. "Good. I'll take Kingsley, you—"

"No," Jack said, shifting to switch places with Mimi as Kingsley and Kennedy began to circle them. His eyes flickered to the bloody cut on Mimi's cheek. "He's mine."

**Chapter title comes from a Dr. Who episode of the same name. Thanks to everyone who's stuck with the story this long—believe it or not, the entire thing is written (yes, really) and will be posted in increments over the next few weeks. And of course all kudos are due to my wonderful beta, SoloMoon. **


	38. How the World Ends

Dylan tugged hard on the ropes tying him to a metal post at the back of the cave. He leaned forward, using his weight to put stress on the rope. He'd been working on breaking the rope ever since Mimi and Kingsley had started fighting over fifteen minutes ago. Dylan knew that Mimi and Schuyler would need help fighting Mephistopheles and Semael, and he knew the Silver Bloods wouldn't stay out of the fight for long.

Suddenly, the Silver Bloods started shouting, their guttural voices echoing off the walls as they pointed to the altar. Dylan looked up to see Jack struggling his way free of his chains as Kingsley turned towards him, murder written all over his face. Dylan used the distraction to give one more hard pull, and he hissed in triumph when the rope snapped.

All of the Silver Bloods were now facing the altar, salivating as they watched the Apocalyptic Angels face off against each other. Mimi and Kennedy were pacing in a slow circle around each other, while Jack and Kingsley feinted back and forth, neither landing a blow, building themselves up to their fight.

Dylan smiled grimly. This was just the distraction he needed.

With one eye on the altar, Dylan dropped off the stone where he'd been tied, crouching low as soon as he hit the ground. The Silver Bloods growled and stamped their feet as Kingsley suddenly lunged for Jack, his knife narrowly missing the other boy's ribs. Dylan used the moment to dart around the outside of the cave, scampering quietly over the dirt floor as he made his way around the altar.

Keeping low, Dylan ran until he reached the other side of the cave. He now stood directly behind the pillar where Bliss and Oliver were bound. All that stood between Dylan and his friends was fifteen feet of ground—and four Silver Bloods. The Silver Bloods were still focused on the fight between Mimi, Jack, Kingsley, and Kennedy, but Dylan was pretty sure they'd notice if he tried to run up and free his friends.

Dylan reached down and felt around on the ground until he found a sharp piece of stone. Once he reached Bliss and Oliver, he'd probably have only a few seconds at best before the Silver Bloods attacked, so he knew he needed to cut their bonds as quickly as possible.

Stone in hand, Dylan prepared to make a run for the altar, when he noticed movement to his left. He glanced over and realized Schuyler was waving to him from where she lay sprawled at the edge of the altar. Dylan glanced around, nervous that the Silver Bloods might have noticed Schuyler signaling him, but they were all focused on the fight.

Dylan nodded slowly to show Schuyler she had his attention. Schuyler slowly raised her hand and held up three fingers. Dylan nodded again, showing Schuyler he understood. He crouched down, prepared to run.

Suddenly, the Silver Bloods started growling, their feet pawing the ground as they stared at the altar. Dylan looked up to see Mimi had Kennedy in a headlock, and as Dylan watched Mimi easily drove the other girl to her knees, holding her in place as Kennedy tried to struggle.

"Go ahead, Jack," Mimi said. Skin gleaming with sweat, long hair flowing around her shoulders, blood painted on her cheeks, she looked at once wild and beautiful as she pinned Kennedy to the ground. Jack smiled at her, eyes sparking with passion and heat, before turning to face Kingsley.

"Come on, Mephistopheles," Jack said. He waved his arm. "You and me. Just like before. Let's go."

Kingsley snorted, rolling his eyes. "Oh please. You couldn't beat me even before I drank your blood. You think you even have a chance against me now, Abaddon?"

Kingsley reached out and shoved Jack, clearly meaning to knock him back, but Jack didn't move. Kingsley's eyes widened. "That's impossible. You—you should be—"

"Weak?" Jack asked. He rolled his shoulders, smirking at Kingsley. "That's your problem, Mephistopheles. You think you can calculate everything, every facet, and through those calculations control everyone around you. It's why you were the last of us to follow Lucifer, and why you refused to turn back to the light. You've always been afraid of what you can't control. You never take risks." Jack crossed his arms. "You're a coward."

Kingsley's eyes narrowed, and out of the corner of his eye, Dylan saw Schuyler drop her first finger.

"None of that matters," Kingsley snapped, but Dylan could see two spots of color growing on his cheeks. "I beat you before, and I'll do it again. Then we'll see who's the coward."

Jack shook his head, his face tight with anger. "You won't beat me again. I underestimated you before. I failed to see the truth of who you are. Before, I just wanted to repay you for the things you said and did at school. That was silly, and petty."

Jack stalked forward, and before Kingsley could move, grabbed the other boy by the front of his shirt, hauling him up so they were face to face. With his free hand, Jack twisted Kingsley's wrist, cruelly bending his arm until Kingsley dropped his switchblade to the ground. Without looking, Jack kicked it off to the side.

"Now it's different," Jack said, even as Kingsley's face twisted with rage. Dylan saw Schuyler drop her second finger. "Now I'm not looking to even a schoolboy grudge. Now I want your blood drained and your body burned to ash."

Jack leaned forward until his nose almost brushed Kingsley. "You touched my mate. Now you die."

Kingsley yelled in rage, his fist driving into Jack's gut, and several things happened at once.

Mimi twisted to hold Kennedy in place as she reached for Kingsley—

Jack dodged to avoid Kingsley's blow and threw the other boy to the ground—

Even as he fell, Kingsley was waving his arm, screaming in Latin—

The Silver Bloods howled and charged the altar—

And Schuyler dropped her third finger.

Dylan sprinted forward, desperate to reach Bliss and Oliver before the Silver Bloods climbed onto the stage. He sprang up with all his might, landing with his knees on a Silver Blood's shoulder. The Silver Blood howled and reached for him, but Dylan was already on his feet. He kicked off the Silver Blood's shoulders, making the monster stumble and fall, and landed on the stage right in front of Bliss and Oliver.

Even as Dylan began hacking at Bliss and Oliver's bonds, Schuyler was at his side, fending off an attack from the first Silver Blood to reach the stage. She twisted under the Silver Blood's enormous arm as he swiped at her, driving her fist low into its gut. She followed up with a vicious kick to its head as it stumbled, and before it even hit the ground she was spinning to look for her next opponent.

Dylan managed to free Oliver, but before he could reach Bliss, Oliver collapsed against Dylan, making them both sway dangerously against the edge of the altar.

"Sorry," Oliver gasped. His face was white, blood dark and congealed on his cheeks. "Sorry. Just feeling a little—aah!" Oliver's face twisted in pain, and Dylan put an arm under Oliver's shoulder, trying to support him.

"Go!" Oliver said, shoving Dylan away. "Free Bliss, I'll be fine," he said, actions belaying his words as he sank down against the base of the pillar.

Dylan glanced around, but the Silver Bloods were all occupied, scrambling to reach Kingsley in the center of the stage. Schuyler was doing her best to fend them off, aided by Mimi, who had released Kennedy as soon as the Silver Bloods rushed the stage, but the two girls were badly outnumbered.

Dylan squeezed Oliver's shoulder before darting to the other side of the pillar.

"Dylan!" Bliss gasped. She'd been so focused on the fight she hadn't even noticed when he'd reached the stage.

"Hey, beautiful," Dylan said, grinning madly at her. "Having a good time?"

Bliss laughed, her tone edged with hysteria. Dylan had to push back against the rage that rose up in his throat when he saw the deep cuts against her pale cheeks. He owed Kingsley for that, and the best way to pay Kingsley back was to free Bliss and then go help Jack.

"Are you ready to run?" Dylan asked quietly as he worked on Bliss's bonds.

Bliss shook her head. "No!" she hissed. "I'm not leaving Schuyler and Mimi to face the Silver Bloods alone." She reached out and grabbed Dylan's hand as he cut the bonds around her wrists. "I'm not leaving you."

Dylan dropped to his knees, working on the ropes around Bliss's feet. "Listen, Oliver doesn't look so good," he said. "You have to get him out of here, get him to a hospital. If he loses much more blood…"

Dylan slashed through the last of Bliss's bonds, keeping his face down so Bliss couldn't read the truth in his expression. Dylan was pretty sure that it was too late for Oliver even if, by some miracle, they managed to get him to a hospital. But he needed to give Bliss a reason to run.

Dylan would stand by Abaddon's side until the end—that was his duty. He was Marchosias, the Angel of Truth, and he wouldn't abandon his general. Marchosias had sworn an oath to follow Abaddon into battle, an oath he'd gladly renewed when Abaddon and Azrael turned back to the Light. Dylan couldn't turn away now, but he couldn't let Bliss die.

"Okay," Bliss said. She reached down and pulled Dylan to his feet. Dylan started to turn away, but Bliss gripped his hand tight. He turned to look at her, praying she couldn't see his misery on his face. "I'll go help Oliver," Bliss said, "but promise me you and the others will run as soon as you have the chance."

"I—"

"Dylan—" Bliss glanced around, wincing when a Silver Blood sent Mimi crashing to the ground across the stage. "This isn't the time. It wasn't supposed to be like this. But I saw. I saw the past. We're meant to be together. You and I—we're bond mates."

Dylan shuddered. He'd assumed as much, but hearing the truth confirmed shook him to his core. Now more than ever he wished he had more time.

Bliss gripped his shoulders tight, her eyes boring into his. "So when I say run as soon as you have the chance, you run, do you understand?"

Dylan nodded, his throat too tight to speak. Bliss leaned forward and kissed him hard, her hands digging into his arms.

"Good," Bliss said, her eyes fierce. "Now go kick some Silver Blood ass. I'll see you on the other side."

Dylan squared his shoulders, shaking his head to clear the sweat out of his eyes as he turned towards the fight. A cry from Schuyler drew his attention, and he ducked and dodged his way through the Silver Bloods on the fringes of the fight until he reached Schuyler's side.

Schuyler was facing off against three Silver Bloods at once, dancing back and forth as she tried to keep them from getting past her and reaching Jack and Kingsley. She was putting up a good fight, dodging blows on one side before striking a hit of her own on the other, but Dylan could see she was exhausted.

"Here, let me give you a hand," Dylan said, grinning at Schuyler when she turned to look at him in surprise.

Dylan waited until one of the Silver Bloods lunged for him, then grabbed the monster by its forearms and flipped it over his head, sending the beast crashing down to the floor of the cave. Schuyler stared at him in shock, and Dylan grinned.

"What? I eat my Wheaties."

"Clearly," Schuyler said, rolling her eyes. She stepped back a foot or so and then darted forward, scaling a Silver Blood's back and wrapping her arms around its neck. The Silver Blood staggered, growling as it tried to throw her off, and Dylan turned to assess the situation.

Mimi seemed to be holding her own against three Silver Bloods who were trying without success to dodge her vicious kicks and punches, but Dylan could see Kennedy was prowling towards Mimi, her hands curled into fists.

In the center of the altar, Jack was exchanging blow after blow with Kingsley, but he was hindered by the stray Silver Blood that kept breaking past Schuyler and Mimi. Jack was dealing with the Silver Bloods as they reached him, but it was keeping him from facing Kingsley full on, and Dylan knew that Kingsley was just waiting for an opening to strike Jack down.

Dylan grappled with another Silver Blood as it tried to charge for the center of the altar, his mind only half on the fight as he looked for Bliss and Oliver. He kneed the Silver Blood in the groin and then pushed himself up on the Silver Blood's shoulders so he could see the whole cavern.

He saw a flash of red, and caught sight of Bliss and Oliver making their way around the side of the cave towards the tunnel through which they had entered. Bliss was half-carrying, half dragging Oliver, who was limping along as fast as he could.

Dylan looked around nervously, but as far as he could tell none of the Silver Bloods had noticed Bliss and Oliver's escape.

A growl behind him was Dylan's only warning before a Silver Blood seized him by the waist, hauling him back against the Silver Blood's chest and pining him with its giant arms. Dylan's heart pounded in his chest as the Silver Blood lowered its head towards his neck. Dylan yelled and struggled as hard as he could, thrashing in the Silver Blood's grip. He would not be bitten again.

Suddenly, the Silver Blood howled in pain and dropped Dylan. Dylan had to scramble out of the way to avoid being crushed as the Silver Blood went crashing to the ground next to him. Dylan looked up to see Schuyler standing next to him, her black hair flying around her face as she panted for breath.

"Thanks," Dylan gasped. Schuyler offered him a hand and he hauled himself up.

"No problem," Schuyler said, but Dylan could see the worry written in her eyes.

"They're good," Dylan said, flicking his eyes towards the entrance of the cave.

Schuyler breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thanks," she said.

Dylan nodded. "Let's do this thing," he said, trying to project courage he didn't really feel.

"Schuyler! Dylan! You want to stop chit-chatting and start fighting?" Mimi executed and impressive roll under a Silver Blood's arm, kicking another one in the gut before coming to a stop next to them.

"Sorry," Schuyler said, rolling her eyes at Dylan.

"Less talk, more ass-kicking," Mimi said. She glanced around, eyes sharp as she assessed the situation. "Come on. Let's go make a stand with Jack. Maybe if we can take out the Silver Bloods then we can take down Kingsley and Kennedy."

Dylan scrambled to follow Mimi, ducking and dodging his way through the remaining Silver Bloods until they reached Jack. Dylan took a perverse pleasure from kicking Kingsley hard in the shins as he darted by. Kingsley staggered and almost fell, scowling when he turned to face his new opponents.

"CROATOAN TO ME!" he yelled, voice echoing off the walls of the cavern. The Silver Bloods howled and scrambled for Kingsley, their eyes made with bloodlust.

Mimi quickly turned to she was back-to-back with Jack, and Dylan did the same with Schuyler, the two of them to Jack and Mimi's immediate left. The four of them now stood at the center of the altar, the stone basin at their backs.

Dylan did a quick head count, wincing when he realized that there were still about fifteen Silver Bloods left, even though between them they'd already taken down a little more than half the group. In addition, Kingsley and Kennedy stood next to each other, their movements mirroring Mimi and Jack's.

"Listen to me!" Kingsley said, yelling to be heard over the howling of the Silver Bloods. "Abaddon and Azrael you can drain, but you must leave them alive. The same goes for the half-blood," Kingsley said, jerking his head at Schuyler. "We need them alive to complete the ritual." Kingsley's eyes flicked to Dylan, contempt on his face. "As for Marchosias, rip him limb from limb and share his blood amongst you."

"NO!"

Dylan felt his heart seize in his chest. Everyone spun towards the sound of the voice. Bliss was standing about fifteen feet from the tunnel leading out of the cave. Her eyes were wide and her face horrified as she stared at Dylan and the others surrounded by the Silver Bloods. Oliver was leaning against the wall next to her, his face white and pinched.

"What in the…" Kingsley turned to look at the pillar where Bliss and Oliver had been tied. Kingsley growled and shook his head. "Stop them!" he snapped. "Kill them if necessary—we already have their blood."

"Oliver, run!" Schuyler screamed. She was already running for Kingsley, but he turned and threw Schuyler to the ground with one vicious hit.

"Bliss, Oliver, GO!" Jack yelled. He and Mimi had started shoving their way through the Silver Bloods as soon as Kingsley spoke, and they put themselves between the Silver Bloods and the edge of the altar.

Out of the corner of his eye, Dylan saw Schuyler step into Kennedy's path as she started towards Mimi and Jack. Although it went against every instinct he had, Dylan turned away from Bliss and planted himself in front of Kingsley.

Kingsley growled and tried to throw Dylan down the same way he'd taken out Schuyler, but Dylan anticipated the move. He ducked under Kingsley's arm and stamped on Kingsley's instep in the same move. Kingsley yelped in pain and jumped back, and Dylan bowed his head and head-butted Kingsley in the stomach, throwing his whole weight behind the blow. His body throbbed with pain and exhaustion, but he knew now wasn't the time to give into the pain.

Kingsley fell to the ground with a crash, and Dylan started to charge him again, but Kingsley's eyes widened in horror, staring at something behind Dylan.

Even as Dylan turned, Kingsley was up and running, shoving roughly past Dylan as he ran for the entrance of the cave. Dylan turned to see Bliss and Oliver dodging past a Silver Blood who had fought its way past Jack and Mimi. They reached the entrance of the cave, and Dylan breathed a sigh of relief.

Kingsley jerked to a stop, and at first Dylan thought he was letting them go, but then Kingsley twisted his hands in the air. The blood drained out of Dylan's face. He recognized that move.

"Oliver, Bliss, watch out!" he yelled, but it was too late.

Kingsley raised his hands in the air. "_ABDANNO_!" he screamed, and the world fell apart.


End file.
